The Tundra's Dark Side
by LydeaBlaze
Summary: Rated T temporarily, will be raised to M. When Alexander Nyctea makes a return to the Pure Ones after his recent exile from the North after crimes against the aristocracy, Kludd remains resistant when Nyra allows him to return to the ranks. However, it seems that Kludd and Alexander might actually have something in common and may lead to a new threat against the North… And Boron.
1. Chapter 1: The Northern Traitor

The Tundra's Dark Side

_Well, here we are, as we open this new instalment of the Story Continues Arc, we open on the Northern Kingdoms in the middle of the Northern Winter, snow falling in flurries... Dramatic, yes, no, maybe? Well, anyway, The Tundra's Dark Side is here, and I really have to be the one to say that this fanfic is going to end up with an M rating due to the amount of violence, a little gore, a lemon and otherwise unpleasantness which is probably going to end up in the end with the M rating._

_It may be a T for now, but... it is going to be raised, I will tell you now and Warning, there may be a little bit of gory detail in this first chapter, but this is since I am trying to bring more depth into it really and improve my skills._

Chapter 1: The Northern Traitor

_Twenty Years Ago_

"It's a girl, your majesties!" A lady in waiting decrees cheerfully as she holds a small pink bundle as she enters the royal bedchamber, "A beautiful Princess of The North as graceful as Queen Nya herself."

Although rudely waking the King and Queen of The North at such an ungodly hour of the evening is rude and against much protocol that dates back a long while, it can be ignored as the new parents approach the servant and the little bundle is handed over to the mother. The young couple seeing their hatchling for the first time, tear inducing, as it is more than just an heir to a recently obtained kingdom, but their daughter and firstborn. The mother laying her eyes upon the infant as she all but is a ball of down and all else, her eyes, dark blue inherited from her father, peering around and making all but the soft cries.

"She's beautiful, Arin." The Queen coos, tenderly embracing her child

"Yes, my sweet, she sure is. A future queen in the making, and already I can just tell she will be a fine queen when she grows up, she has it in her blood." The King, Arin, answers, kissing his wife on the cheek and getting to hold his daughter himself, approaching the frost-glazed windows at the other side of the room with her to look upon their kingdom, "What do we suppose we call a fine young Princess of North then, eh, Nynia?"

"Well... I am stumped for names, dear. You've put me right on the spot." Nynia retorts, feeling the least bit disconcerted and flustered about having to decide on a name this instant, "Alexandra?"

"Oh, no, that it a too used name within the family already, love." Arin tuts in protest of the notion, "My maternal grandmother is an Alexandra, my aunt is an Alexandra, my sister's middle name is Alexandra, and sure as all hagsmire I am not giving my firstborn a recycled name that has been used in this family countless times."

"Alright, alright, I was just suggesting. No need to get all uptight about it." The queen replies, compromising to say the least with the decision, "How about... Lydea?"

"Lydea? As in our ancestor and the firstborn daughter of Nya?" the king enquires, receiving a nod from his mate, before peering down at the newborn, "How about it, Lydea, do you like that name? Ah-ha, hm-hm, well then it is decided. You, my beautiful firstborn and heir to these Northern Kingdoms, shall be called Princess Lydea Schana, our little Crown Princess of North."

Nynia chuckles and rolls her eyes approaching her husband to get their owlet passed back to her and she all but places the child down in a bassinette that has all but been just waiting to be used for the royal child. Tucking her in gently as she breathes a soft yawn, as all little, little owlets seem to be tired as sleeping is one of the things they do.

"So, a big celebration then, my love?" The Queen says as she approaches her husband

"Well when my mother hears of it, she'll demand that we have a grand ball in honour of our little princess and that we all get capes, crowns and otherwise made for the event and decorate the whole ballroom in pink..." The King answers, with a roll of his eyes, taking his wife in a waltz position, "And we'll dance all night."

"So you say, but we haven't really had the time to dance and remember our coronation?" Nynia bemusedly reminisces, "I'm pretty sure that if they could, they would have laughed at the failures."

"Now don't say that, everyone has their falters at times, and we can only blame the wine for the amount of accidents happening that night." Arin consoles, only trying to help, "And you've changed much from a nervous young woman who learnt overnight that she would become queen."

"Even Noble girls could never be prepared for the crown and its responsibilities, so my consumption of wine coronation night, after 9 no less an hour of the morning, was just-." She retorts, defending herself

The Northern Queen is interrupted by a large boom that shatters the windows. The king shielding his wife as they fall to the ground from the instability as the palace shakes from an impact. Screams and shouts erupt from the other side of their chamber doors, as they are barged open with urgency as Royal Guards come charging in.

"Your majesties, Pure Ones are attacking the palace and the surrounding towns! I implore that you all get to safety, immediately." A guard says

Arin helps his wife to his feet before she suddenly pushes away to check over their daughter, picking her up and wrapping her in extra blankets and receiving a few agitated murmurs erupting from the infant. She then comes back to face her flabbergasted husband who is just trying to put this all together and process a response before another explosion rocks the palace, making everyone unsteady and one of the guards lose footing and fall over.

"Get the Queen and our daughter out of the palace, now!" Arin orders, rushing over to place on his swords by his sides and grabs a cape for his wife and places it on her shoulders, "Go, now, Nynia."

"But fighting them is suicide!" Nynia reasons

"Just go for Lydea's sake!" The king orders

The Royal Guards follow their queen and the infant out the doors and swarm around them, checking around every corner as they have to leave now, as the walls and soldiers will not hold long, nor will the palace as they keep battering it. Whole walls starting to collapse in, whole rooms collapsing in already, the ground becomes unstable as they run through the winding rock corridors that walls are crumbling away with every hit they sustain.

Another group of guards approach them with speed, looking battered and bruised, but enduring to say the least, "The southern gates have been compromised, and the Pure Ones are storming the ballroom! The western gates are about to fall, their numbers are too strong."

"Oh sweet goddess... The passages under the palace, we must hurry to them it's the only hope for escape now." Another of the guards says

"Hurry... Please!" Queen Nynia shouts, fought with fear and gripping her daughter tight against her chest, "We must!"

"Yes, your highness." The first of the royal guards comply

They all turn around the corner to another corridor and hurry for the eastern side of the palace, where shrieks of fear, shouts from soldiers outside in the compromised courtyard of the palace and the loud explosions of projectiles being thrown at the palace getting louder. Getting ever so closer to the chaos of the battlefield outside they can see in more detail the carnage of the fighting. The Queen, getting her first glance to the courtyard through broken windows with only the iron outlines remaining, stares horrified if she may be aside from terrified. Bodies, the bodies of Royal Guards and soldiers who guard the palace with their lives with large gaping gashes across their bodies, large chunks and internal organs torn out and blood pouring out onto the snow and stones beneath them. Eyes wide open with shock and otherwise pained last moments before leaving the earth. Wings torn from their bodies and barely attached with only a few ligaments holding on, necks slit with their heads nearly coming off, an unfortunate fellow used as a target from an archer with as many arrows as a firing squad of eight, using three arrow shots, can manage to get in the back of one owl...

"Your majesty, you must keep moving!" One of the Guards yell

"Oh merciful Glaux..." Nynia mutters, pulling herself from looking away from the windows, following the escort, _"By the holy father and our Goddess Nya may their sacrifices be that of they were the most dedicated and bravest of all the North..."_

Continuing down the halls, the mangled bodies of fallen staff lying on the floor as a sign that this is more than just an attack... Nynia fretting with every step as she sees splatters of blood and bodies mangled lying in pools of their own blood, arrows in the walls... as if a great evil has passed by through leaving this behind. She feels sick from the sights alone, but shields Lydea's eyes from this carnage by holding her close to her chest. The last thing she wants is to corrupt an hours old hatchling with all of this death and... Blood and... Atrocity...

"Wait..." The leading member of the small group of owls says, raising his wing to stop the group who then pause as they listen to hear a slight banging noise from one of the doors in ahead of them, "What is that?"

The doors are barged open by Pure Ones, armed with swords and the Royal Guards immediately react by the front three drawing their swords and the others turning and barricading the Queen to get away. The first sign of bad things to come, Pure Ones already intruding upon the palace and in this bloodbath they only want one thing and one thing only...

"Protect the Queen!" One of the Guards fighting a Pure One yells, smacking the Pure One hard in the head

Nynia runs, holding her daughter close as that way has clearly been compromised, as they will have to run, have to go another way to the catacombs of the palace, to escape. The kingdom depends on their leaders living and in the wake of other coups in past, they must run, hide and flee if they have live and hope to survive. They come to a dead end, rocks crumbling the way. The palace has started crumbling in; only making it worse the urgency to escape stresses the young woman more. They turn and go another way, looking above them as dust starts coming down from the ceilings above as they come to another set of doors that burst open with Pure One soldiers coming through armed with swords and one slicing the throat of a merely servant as they enter. The rest of the soldiers taking them on and the queen with only one option at the time enters a room and sits at the door, cradling her daughter with tears streaming down her eyes, trying to keep calm but all hell has broken loose.

A Guard is downed by a Pure One forcing their blade straight through them, skewering them on their sword before they are flung aside like a rag doll. One of the Guards slams a Pure One hard into the ground, furiously piercing them with their dagger and puncturing everywhere the blade can go, assuring that they are dead with many, many holes pouring out their sinful enemy blood everywhere. The last of the guards is cornered without any plan of attack before... they suddenly stop in their tracks, falling down dead as a Guardian owl armed with her swords stands behind the body that has a large chop down their back.

"Oh thank lord, the Guardians have arrived!"

* * *

It all goes quiet, no bangs heard from catapults (as she has been told of by one of the guards are firing at the palace), nothing from outside conflict the guards with her are having heard. The queen whimpers tears, her daughter crying out tears of distress. She all but does her best to calm her down when she is as uncertain what will happen as she cannot hear anything before a loud crash –rocks falling from the ceiling above her on the other side of this chamber. She has confined herself in the study, it is not even safe from the bombardment, and infiltration the palace is coming under.

The door starts to rattle and the queen firmly sits against it in effort to keep them out, "Go away, leave me be, you unholy bastards!"

"Is someone in there? Hello?" a voice, a male voice, replies

"Yes, but I am not coming out!" Nynia firmly states, "You bastard Pure Ones ain't going to get me or my daughter or I will fight you myself!"

"Madame, I and my colleagues here are not Pure Ones; I'll assure you of that. We just slaughtered the bastards on our way in." The voice replies, firmly and calmly to state to the point, "My name is Lord Ezylryb Cress, I, and my associates here and around are Guardians of Ga'Hoole. I, myself, am the War Minister and Lord Commander of Ga'Hoole under his majesty King Boron."

"If I may, my lord, if you really are, how can I trust you? Have you seen what is going on here?" The snowy queen states, uneasy even if the claims could be true

"Yes, we've seen, so terrible of all the battles I have seen myself as a former Northern Army Commander and as a Guardian. But right now, we're here to find and escort any survivors in the palace to safety, the place is coming down and if you don't cooperate, we'll all get crushed here, or downed by Pure Ones." Ezylryb states

Nynia stands and moves aside as the door opens, Ezylryb carefully entering and looking around to see this scared young woman and then bowing with respect, knowing that she is the Queen of The North.

"Queen Nynia, I didn't know-"

"It is okay, formalities can be excused, Lord Commander." Nynia ousts, interjecting as she then fixes up her daughter

Ezylryb approaches, carefully toward the Northern Queen, "Your daughter is she alright?"

"Yes, she is fine." The queen answers, stepping back cautiously and holding her closer, "She is only a few hours old."

"And what is her name, if I may ask your highness?" Ezylryb asks

"...Lydea. Princess Lydea." Nynia answers before looking down on her owlet, "Oh Glaux... She's only a few hours old and..."

"Do not think that, trust me here and you will not die by the claws of the bastards." Ezylryb states, trying to assure the Northern Queen, "May I take Lydea for a moment, to see if she is hurt or anything because I can tell it has been a bit of a rough night."

The Queen uneasily hands over the owlet to the Guardian who then takes her and looks at the little one who seems fine but only flustered by the experiences that he can tell are terrible for how much she seems uneasy. However, the real one affected, for what he can see, is the mother, as she seems all but pale with fear and a mess with tears. He then walks toward the door slightly and stops and looks around for a moment before looking back.

"My colleges are just outside. Strix and the lad, come here right now!" Ezylryb says, yelling out the door for his partners in this mission, before fixing up the owlet that is against his chest, "We can get you out of the palace with your daughter, nothing to it. You and your daughter will have political asylum in Ga'Hoole, as things are not exactly right, right now, to be here, by the looks of this bloodbath. This palace is coming down, and I understand that you have experienced a lot tonight, but we have to leave now."

"...Okay." Nynia uneasily says, approaching the Guardian owl cautiously as the roof begins to crack above her

"Move, quickly, the roof looks about to give-!"

The roof comes down as the Queen almost approaches the others, Ezylryb moving out of the way with the owlet as the large pieces of the ceiling coming down on top of her mother with a whole heap of dust coming down. The dust settles and Ezylryb is in all but shock of the events, the baby starting to cry loudly as the two other Guardians present in the crumbling palace come up to them.

"What happened, Lyze?" Strix Struma asks

"The roof collapsed in and... well... I'm not sure if an owl can survive being crushed by massive ceiling bits like those." Ezylryb answers, while still focused on the infant Princess who keeps crying in distress, "The young Princess Lydea here is only a few hours old, according to the queen, her mother who... met this untimely fate."

The floor begins to crack as the group of Guardian owls stand back as it spreads from the floor up the walls, the signal that the palace is about to collapse in and cannot take any more punishment that the Pure Ones keep firing at it with. Knowing that it may not be wise to try to rescue the Queen when the palace could give way any minute, they have to cut their losses and at least escort the heir to the throne alive out of this hell at least. With a shared look the three of them take off back the way they came, Ezylryb carefully carrying the hatchling as they fly their way through a crumbling palace as the ancient halls of which even a goddess and the Kingdom's first Schana Queen come crashing down upon them.

Outside, the call is made as the battle becomes too much for the Guardians to handle, as solders in large waves keep coming and as the owls make it out of the crumbling palace in time, it falls. The towers and ancient architectures coming crashing down as the rubble nearly engulfs the scene of carnage below of it in the debris raining down upon them. With a heavy heart, the young King Boron yells to withdraw his forces... The North has fallen, the snow bathed in the blood of the innocent lives, covers the whole area around this fallen palace. Imagery alone signalling this fall and death of a great empire and sickening to say the least this massacre of mere innocents, the Guardians make their grave retreat, as they can do nothing more to help.

* * *

A snowy owl, like many of the soldiers that have been killed by the Pure One Armies, stands with an appeased smile sickening enough to say the least and the look of daggers in his eyes as he eyes down the enemy... The Guardians. Unlikely of some to see a non-Tyto amongst these supremacist ranks, but he stands there, a helm of the Guardians to his own choosing and a dark red cape armed with bloodied battle claws and his swords by his sides, the handles looking to be covered in the blood which cakes the courtyard of the fallen palace.

"Oh how fate works now?" He mutters to himself, pacing around the mess of dead bodies guttered by the night's events, "You all laugh, taunt even because of one little thing that happened and cast me out like the commoner and... look how it ended up now. You're dead, you're dead and _you're_ dead too over there."

"Alexander."

The snowy owl looks behind him as two Pure Ones land and then a large sooty owl lands after them. This snowy, Alexander, bows with respect as no more than the helm and the escort can tell that he is important within these ranks, no less their commander, Lord Metalbeak. The king looks around, turning his head to get a view of all of this with his only good eye as a slightly impressed smile comes to his iron prophetic beak.

"Well, my lord isn't a more beautiful sight than anything else? Their blood everywhere remarkably in the shade of our red as if is rolling out the welcome for their new commanders. Then I guess they are our doormats anyway..." Alexander says, proudly pacing about in front of the king and humorously looking at the bodies everywhere and coming across one, which has its internal organs spilling out of them through a large gaping hole, "Oh, hello there, I see you've gotten more than just flattened out as a welcome mat, my friend."

"Well, I am impressed, Alexander, you've come through those claims, and with astounding results to say the least." Metalbeak replies within all seriousness unlike the turnfeather commander in front of them

"And smell that..." Alexander says, taking a big inhale, "Nothing better than the stench of blood and death in the early evening."

"My lords!"

The pair then turns to face a pair of their soldiers crossing the courtyard with a prisoner, dragging him forcedly and yanking on his limbs like a puppet. Alexander actually looking impressed with their little find, as it is none other than the former of these now Pure One Controlled Northern Kingdoms.

"Well done, lads." Alexander applauds, "I must say, I thought that you were going to be like any bloody king and go down with your kingdom."

"You... Wretch! How could you betray the North for these... supremacist bastards?" Arin spits on the word 'wretch', highly disgusted of one of their own who have betrayed them, "You're not even a Tyto and yet you have aided them to destroy this kingdom. You... You have all but shamed the great name your forefathers installed in you-"

"I wouldn't say another word unless that is how you want to be remembered." Metalbeak interjects, standing idly by before approaching the once King of The North he only tried to vanquish seven years before now, "Well, where is the mighty Northern Army of hundreds now? Where is that Lyze of Kiel to bloody as well defend your sorry tail end from me this time, hm? You talk game, Schana, but yet... look who's the one in charge now."

The Schana King pushes forward in effort to escape, "I will not get down on my knees surrender like the coward; neither will my people yield to the likes of you. The people will rise against you after they hear what you have done and there are more northerners to outnumber any amount of Pure Ones you may have!"

"My lord." Alexander then says, drawing his sword and placing it before the High Tyto, "I say that executing this scoundrel should be left to you in a statement which would mean that you are the true King of the North, and it would be an honour, if you ended the Schana Dynasty with my sword."

"Actually, I am thinking that this should be yours to take, as a reward for your loyalty to my army." Metalbeak says, handing back the sword to the snowy owl turnfeather, "Usher in the new era of Pure One rule over this kingdom and make this sorry fool at the mercy of Glaux like the rest of his bloody family already are."

The turnfeather Northern Lord nods his head, "It would be my honour."

Metalbeak takes a few steps back as the former king is forced to kneel by the soldiers holding him still, struggling to resist as his life depends on it, as if The North depends on it. Alexander prepares himself for this deed with a somewhat smile, as if he has been dreaming of taking the head of this sorry bastard since that night where he made a fool of him in front of the entire aristocracy. Nothing means more to a Northern Aristocrat than their honour and this man who has the gall to call himself a king, had stained his honour for the events of that night and merely leading toward the rest of the peers shunning him and making him as worthless as the mere commoner.

"Well, as I am not that much of a heartless bastard as you scum of the world seems to think me as, any last words before you fall?" The new king enquires

"I hope you burn in hagsmire for all eternity for what you have done! ALL OF YOU!" Arin shouts, the last part echoing around the area to add depth to the words

Metalbeak gives the nod and Alexander lifts his sword and strikes down quickly, cutting off the Schana king's head with one good hit of his sword, tearing it clean off its body as the so-called "golden blood" of the king begins to pour out of him. The guards behind dropping the body and Alexander stands there with his sword bloodied with an amused, near sickening smile plastered across his face as he places his sword away.

"Welcome to the Pure One North..."Alexander mutters, before kneeling down before Metalbeak, "And all hail Lord Metalbeak, High Tyto of the Pure One Empire and King of The North!"

* * *

_Twenty Years Later_

_June 23__rd__, Present Day_

A terrible winter day as the snow seems to be falling in more than just a flurry. All but the coldest winter temperatures on record around this time of the mid-winter. Even the Northerners who would be born and bred, who would live all their lives in this nearly everwinter wasteland of mostly snow and ice could be at mercy of this cold. The least this prisoner here at least gets to be bloody as well warm while he has been here for the worst of ten winters up until this day. He would have thought by now that he could not have lasted this many winters for how many crimes he had done sitting here waiting for a trial than one if they decided to take his head the minute they arrested him. However, the UKO are the ones who believe so highly in diplomacy and ethics that their heads seem to be caught where the sun does not shine within their ideals and near self-proclaimed "diplomatic greatness".

The letter sits on the small table within this jail cell, it was presented to him barely a month or two ago by those bastards working for The Northern Council. Like any official document, it usually begins with the usual sort of greeting before ending up telling him bluntly that his court date is this and most of his charges are listed below... Load of rubbish when they only list the top three and not credit the others when he pretty much made history for this kingdom.

Sitting next to this pretty much only communication he has had with the outside world in ten years, sits his dark red sash underneath a box. Knowing it is nearing time for this little get-together with this new style of government the child-queen enacted, he opens it and shiny, silver medals looking as shiny as new sit inside. Funny, ten years and all these medals are like new, even the ones from when he was nothing more than the Schana King's yes man back in the days of being naïve to the real cut-throat of the aristocracy can be and how much they are just fools with power. He places one by one individually on the sash as even he thinks he has to be presentable before the damn child that ruined everything for the Pure Ones by living and returning two years ago to steal away their greatest achievements among many.

He comes across a small portrait, one of those small paintings done which were scaled down to be kept inside locket necklaces, wedged in the corners of mirrors and whatnot. Their former king who met his untimely downfall only a mere few months before some sixteen year old brandishing a flaming stick of all weapons ended his life seemed happy in this little portrait as he stand with something that could be easily put onto the list of worst among his sins and crimes. A young woman, a young corseted Barn Owl (**Guess who**) with feathers of a rich brown colour stand beside him with such an eminence of beauty even if she was doomed to having to wear that awful contraption for the rest of her life. She hold a small bundle, with a black and brown owlet seen to be sleepily wrapped within red and light blue blankets,(**Guess who again**) as it could only be the one thing that is both the greatest sin against anything and that owl's most prised possession.

_"__Well, look how the mighty have fallen and this image of pure happiness dissolved by knowing in hindsight it would never last. That king impaled on a flaming branch and died hereafter ending his glorious reign... That young woman, as beautiful as she is doomed by being like a pawn he did love in his horrid chess game was made to disappear off the face of the earth and her existence made... unknown. And that baby, that young boy there with a whole life ahead of him even if he was a bastard child is like the mother, but unlike the mother, he is only missing. Sent away so he would not end up having his throat torn out by that stepmother of his who doesn't even have a child of her own... And for I, well, I ended up here wasting away in a personal hell of my own for these ten long bloody years...And yet, I could only hope Nyra is strong and that she is only as blank as we wanted her after that affair was over and done. And I can only hope that the young lady is fine wherever she is and that little lad too, fine."_

He places on his sash of medals, adjusting them to look presentable, "_It doesn't look much like it, but the other medals seem to be better than those other bloody things... Call it an oxymoron of honours if you could."_

With a loud bang, the doors are beginning to open. Two guards entering wearing the typical of anything Northern Army uniform these days. He already knows why they are here, an escort to the trial, which they have been holding off for so many years and everyone opted out of doing until now, is going to begin soon. With less patience than others to be around the highly reputational Traitor of The North and the "Bringer of the Blood", they start forcing this prisoner to move.

"You are coming with us this very instance, so don't bother trying anything." One of the Guards coldly sneer

"And here I thought that the old ways had returned with the reinstatement of your bloody monarchy so you wouldn't be manhandling me like some common prisoner." Alexander coldly quips, "Back in my day, I had idiots like you being the ones following my every command."

"You're a disgrace to the medals that our last kings once gave that you wear." The other guard chimes in, as harshly as the first

"Now you shouldn't be disrespectful!" Alexander exclaims, with a roll of his eyes, "And none of you can take a joke around here..."

Due to being a high-risk prisoner, nearly every part of the section of anywhere around his cell is surrounded by gates at every end of the corridor to be unlocked by the soldiers who guard it with their lives as if he was to escape, then who knows what untold damage he could bring. They escort him into a cage, locking him inside before leaving this prison within the tundra's barren wastelands outside of any sort of civilisation within the North. It takes hours to get anywhere near any civilisation from this super security prison, and almost virtually no one is allowed any access with the prison unless they had a written statement from the higher of authorities to be here. For Alexander, this is the first time he has seen the outside world that was not from his window in ten long years, even if it is to the hearing with the council that could mean the end of his life, as he knows it.

* * *

The stroke of midnight and the large brigade of soldiers and servicemen from no less than the elite rankings the Northern Army are flying through the main civilisation city that surrounds the Snowflake Palace that is the new Schana Palace in their building of a new main capitol that has been happening over these last two years. Far enough away from the edge of the Northern Forest and the civilisation at the bottom of the valley of the Northern Mountain ranges and the wreckage of the fall of the both Schana Dynasty for that era and the fall of the Pure One Rule. These soldiers, all called from their stations from in and around the tundra, are here for the escort of this high-risk captive.

The Queen can decide if he shall be spared of the death penalty and forever be exiled or to confine him in jail any longer. Alternatively, if he shall suffer death by having his head on the chopping block, as if it would be avenging her father by making him all but suffer the same fate. However, that decision may be tough, for the personal views of the Queen of the North, being that her husband is the defendant's grandson and her father in law is King of Ga'Hoole, who is the defendant's son and only child. Also accounting on her pacifist views of preferring diplomacy above mindless violence, as well as the rest of the Northern Kingdom and her council all on different sides of the matter all but screaming at her to make the decision they want, but it is between two different options. It may be a tough decision for the young queen to make.

The Snowflake Palace, a palace that was spared from the attacks and eighteen years of Pure One rule and twenty years of violence between the sides, is all but a marvel amongst designers inspired by the palace's architecture dating back many hundreds of years. All but the piece that was the start of the city building project on this side of the valley of the Northern Mountain ranges by moving the main monarchy and their operations here to the, now new, Schana Palace. Alexander is flying over this little work before looking upon the final destination, and being brought here to this grand fortress in the tundra. Everyone seems to be either staring this prisoner down or cowering away as he is being brought through the palace to the council, although he has spent the last ten years locked in a small room, the likeliness of retaliation seems high, even if they are keeping him in a cage until they get to the council room.

Finally coming to a pair of doors, they are opened to a large chamber and the first thing the prisoner can see as he enters are 11 piercing glares from each of the 11 members of the council here already in attendance. They stare down on him, as they are all but owls who are nearly the same age and are in the same generation of the man who toppled their kingdom in one night. They all stare daggers down at the man who brutally hacked the head off King Arin and brought the palace down on Queen Nynia. They were all but young royals who only had such a short time on the throne before they assassinated in an atrocity and one of the worst massacres that has ever happened within the Everlasting War since the days of Mordecai and Cheyenne. Alexander is released from his captivity with many, many guards in and around the room from what he can see looking around now. And yet, something is missing from this little gathering now...

The guards open two doors at the head of the room as the last member of the council has yet to arrive. The attention turned away from Alexander for the moment as the council members all bow as four guards enter and then stand at each side of a walkway and the necessary member presiding over this matter has arrived.

_"__Her Majesty, Queen Lydea of the North._"

Lydea enters, dressed in all but something formal for this very distinct Northern Council gathering with a long, dark blue cape edged and collared with white sitting on her shoulders, a silver and sapphire headpiece sitting on her head and a necklace of silver sitting on her neck on top of the cape. Though her face remains expressionless as she enters, as soon as she gazes upon the man who killed her parents, killed her family and killed several hundred innocent owls, her expression turns to that of malice. She stares at him so for a full minute in silence before ascending her stand at the centre chair of the council.

"You have the same glare of your father, young queen." Alexander states breaking the silence of the room, receiving another sharp glare from all the councillors, "It is not nice to stare; now I know that I may look a little less presentable than I would want, but when in prison, does it look like I even have a formal cape."

"Councillor Kai, Representative of the Southern Everwinter Isles, if you may read the charges." Queen Lydea intrusts, staying strictly on program and her voice making out that this is a no-nonsense trial

"At once, your majesty." The councillor responds, with a nod of compliance while taking up the official documents, "Lord Alexander Nyctea, former Commander of the Northern Army and head of the former House Nyctea, and former General of Northern Division of the Pure Ones, you are here charged with counts of high treason against our Queen and the Kingdom. Secondly with the murder and regicide of the former monarchs and murders other members of the aristocracy. The murder of your wife, Lady Monique Nyctea and several hundred other soldiers and civilians also your doing. The war crimes you have committed in the brief eight years of your leadership as General and finally crimes against owlkind."

"Your present appearance today is to finally give the decision regarding if you shall live either in imprisonment or in exile, our queen presiding over the decision we make today." Another councillor, a female, adds onto the end of the statement

"I must say... I will interrogate the defendant before the decision is made." Lydea says, looking only down on Alexander with her same look of daggers she game him while entering

"Oh, of course your highness is entitled to speak to the guilty party, however considering how-"

"I'm doing it and it is final!" Lydea sharply snaps, looking toward the councillor who questions her decision, before she then clears her throat and retains her serious demeanour

"Well, never have I seen a sole-reigning queen ever so feisty with her government before." Alexander confidently smirks, relaxing a bit with a self-amused smile on his face, "Then again the North wasn't exactly a Constitutional Monarchy..."

"You speak even if you pay me the most disrespect you can already? I thought you were a Northern Lord at best, not a common fool to forget to bow to your queen, kneel and beg of mercy as the council already wants your head." Lydea says with a bemused glance, "But, you are not even the owl who deserves mercy after what you had done."

"Again, too much like your father, Queen Schana." Alexander cockily replies, retaining his smile as he looks up to the woman

The Schana Queen returns a fierce glare, "And yet why would you take his head, my father, that night when you destroyed everything? Why would you betray this kingdom and just throw it all away? Why would you do what you did to The North, to the aristocracy and all the crimes against the owl kingdoms then? Bring shame to your family name which could have been passed down to your son if he wasn't-"

"Now you shouldn't even be alive, you haughty bitch, if those Guardians come and save your sorry hide from what should have been my defining moment and I would be sitting on the throne instead of you. The _Pure Ones'_ defining moment of achieving a great victory ruined because of you!" The traitor coldly snaps, leaning as forward as he can to return the same glare while being restrained

"You are a disgrace to the Nyctea family and if I were cruel I would have executed you as soon as I learned this truth!" Lydea retorts

The traitor only laughs, mockingly, "You married the offspring of my bastard son, you pitiful girl."

"Boron is a good king!" Lydea shouts in response, making the councillors around her feel uneasy as she stands her ground, "Even if he was raised around a pitiful excuse of a father like you, he still grew to become something that in your petty bloodshed could not. Boron became a _king_, the most just and noble to rule the Great Tree and you became a dark stain who is more undeserving of being both a forbearer of the Nyctea name and underserving of being a father to a great owl like my father in law!"

"I am 'underserving', you say?" Alexander calmly, though sharply responds, "He married that Lynai girl, betrayed me and left like a coward only to take the throne of our enemies and no less dooming himself, and yet you say that I am the 'underserving' one?"

"The Council unanimously decided to have you executed, but..." The queen sooner gets back to business with a resolving uneasiness coming to her, "I will not have any more violence in this kingdom, nor senseless killings. I shall go against my council on this decision..."

The councillors all protest in uproar and try to speak to the Queen, but she just remains paused and somewhat unaffected by their pleas and otherwise demands of following through on their verdict of execution. The snowy monarch all but peers down on the traitor, and as much as she would rather see his head on a spike displayed for all the kingdom to see, she can only see it as it would not be right and as a family member of her husband...

"Alexander Nyctea... by my own decision, you shall be stripped of all your titles and any medals of the aristocracy and forevermore exiled from the Northern Kingdoms."

Although with great protest, the Northern Queen bangs the gavel beneath her claw, the verdict has been passed, and as soon as Alexander has left, everyone is not exactly quiet, but rather in contest and calling it all but madness. Queen all but breathes a breath and then leaves, only hoping that she has made the right decision for the good of the kingdom, and that the sorry fool be grateful for the mercy she is giving him. She is not about to kill a family member of her husband's, as it would only be a great dishonour on herself and could call her all but a hypocrite.

* * *

The snow falls down on the southernmost boarder and landmass of the Northern Kingdoms as the dawn's sun starts to rise. The Queen of the North, her guards, the small group of soldiers and otherwise the Northern Council members are all but braving the snow and cold to see the traitor off. As much as it was a wrong decision in their eyes, they must remember that their queen must know what she is doing somehow by sparing this arrogant bastard and traitor from death. The least they did was give him a cape to wear as they release him from the cage and his Northern medals are ripped from his sash one by one until only two Pure One medals remain. The Queen stares on with a look of malice, even if she is giving him mercy, she still sees that he is not exactly grateful for the decision she has made.

The Queen retains her duty as she then stands at the head of the group, her soldiers wary of anything the exiled party may do, "You have been exiled, if you return, you will die by execution, with no prior trial. Your medals and Medals of Honour and Medals of Bravery, all awarded by my grandfather and father, the kings before me, have been stripped from you and all of your Northern Aristocracy titles revoked. All of them to now pass to the next head of household and the honour will be retained, but not the reputation of the original owner. Be gone and NEVER return or I will not be as so merciful next time you come before me!"

Alexander then turns away from the glances and takes off flying, the group watching as the older snowy owl starts to fly through the Ice Narrows, and never to return to the North as so far as for the rest of his days. Relinquishing the fact that he has been freed, but for how long will he be when there are many more owls against him now than allied with him. To fly anywhere near Ga'Hoole would mean immediate death if Boron were to get his claws on him, to return to the North would mean immediate death, to go to any of the allied Kingdoms would be otherwise death in the making as they are all allies with the Guardians...

But as for the Pure Ones, he knows of that they have a new king that has been ruling for nearly one and a half years as their High Tyto. Knowing of him, but not much about him except that he goes by Lord Metalbeak and that his true name is Kludd Canner and he is the brother of the legendary king slayer. He knows that he had married Metalbeak's widow, Queen Nyra and that he has accepted that Nyra has their now fifteen-year-old General, Elanore, as her adoptive daughter of sorts. He knows of some of the campaigns that the High Tyto has served, but only knows that he pretty much has never succeeded in any of them in a shaky start to his reign.

He may know where he can go, it may take some flying and quite some time to spend weaving in between the individual kingdoms and states that would want his head while somehow avoiding the UKO... And also he may have to think of a way to have some sort of introduction with this new young High Tyto dubbed "Metalbeak's Successor"...

But At least he knows of where he can go now...


	2. Chapter 2: A Reminder of the Past

Chapter 2: A Reminder of the Past

Snow covers the Great Tree as it comes down in flurries, both a beautiful sight how the frost covers the tree and as it is said, protects it from the cold, and a beautiful sight to see. Owlets play in the winter snow on the platforms making snow owls, playing with snowballs and otherwise anything they could with the frozen water while their parents watch one with some amusement. The more grown up of young owls, the primary children and the teenage Guardians in Training, do not have this liberty of spending their days playing in snow as they have to attend school. Right now, it all but seems that the Winter Term of the GTA is already well underway with their students, particularly the Moon Master Class students of Senior Year, already well underway with their some of final assignments before next term in October/November.

While his wife, Barran, may be the main teacher of their GTA class, it is nothing but normal to have to juggle his part of being involved running the GTA with leading the monarchy and the Guardian side during this time of unrest against them and the Pure Ones. On his rounds between a meeting with their UKO representative, a period of taking Political Studies with Moon Master Class and since it is almost period three, he's back to his office to end up tacking some work since it is, well almost has been, recess, and he is completely free... To tackle all the paperwork on his desk and the rest sitting in the study back in Palace Hollows.

One of the Moon Master Class Students approaches him on his way around, "Sir, what exactly is the limit of the second semester main English assessment again?"

"Well, the Queen is expecting about a minimum of five pages to a maximum of eleven pages all up, plus a bibliography. I'd say about maybe fourteen sources used." Boron explains, reflecting on how much his wife would rather see when she is marking exams and whatnot, "All about the way you write it, lad and make sure that you use the time effectively if you want to try and beat Miss Otulissa and five others for the top of class mark."

"Alright, thank you."

The student heads off as soon as Boron comes to his office, pushing open the doors himself to see his beloved wife sitting there with a bemused look on her face. One nearing the boarder of becoming a somewhat halfway to something bothering her as she peers down on an official scroll from the North, as well as an official letter with the Schana Royal Stamp on top of an official looking box. For what he knows, already trying to find an explanation for any questions she may ask, closing the doors behind him may be a smart choice.

"What are you doing here? It's nearly the end of recess and you have classes next two." Boron asks his wife as he comes across the room

"I wanted to see you, before going back to class." Barran replies, before turning her gaze back to the main attraction of her eyes stare, "What is this?"

The king then stands beside his wife, also looking over this arrival that has been siting there since this evening, "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?" The Queen responds, turning her head, "Did something happen up in the North? Did something happen to-"

"Josh, Lydea and Sina are fine, dear. Nothing has happened to them, but…" Boron clarifies, before breathing a pained sigh, "…Alexander was exiled from the North."

Barran places her wing over her beak in shock, "You don't mean… Oh, Boron… Then that means that you-"

Boron picks up the official letter from the north and opens it, _"By the appointment of her highness, Queen Lydea of The North, the titles which have been henceforth stripped from the forbearer before you, Alexander Nyctea, due to his exile have not been passed down to you. From this night, you, Boron Nyctea, are the head of House Nyctea and you shall henceforth be the custodian of the medals awarded to the noble house."_

"So in there are…" His mate utters, nearly touching the box before recoiling away from it, "Oh lord, they had to send those omens here?"

"I know, it couldn't be, but I checked myself and every award my father was given by Ricardo and Arin Schana are there. But… Do you know what this means?" the snowy king says before stepping away from the desk and somewhat frantically pacing the room for a moment, "My father, my bloody father, is out probably Glaux knows where in the Owl Kingdoms and could be coming for Ga'Hoole!"

"Boron, he is over fifty years old and even years older than my godfather who's only in his forties and really…"

"Ezylryb is nearly ten years younger than Alexander and has a much more noble history when it comes to the North than that sorry sack of feathers and otherwise. Hell, comparing the Prince of Ambala to a tra-?" Boron says

The bells begin to chime, this marking the signal that the recess is over for the GTA students and their little convocation is well over by now as it looks like since dear Barran has her classes to teach and cannot sit around all night being the lazy aristocrat that she is somewhat descendant from. With a quick gathering of her books for the next lesion being placed in her satchel she places over her shoulder, she gives her husband a small kiss on the cheek.

"We'll continue this later, okay. Don't get too fussed over this, alright… I'm sure we can make light of the situation somehow if we can have some actual time to think over it." Barran says, with an assured and comforting smile on her face, "You have to take class for Star Class 5 and 6 since I have the Chaw Placements happening this afternoon with the kids and as it turns out, I have a few SR probable to take since Autumn's out for now."

"Alright, alright, I will be able to remember that." Boron says, dismissing her off coldly before going behind his desk, "I guess I'll see you then this morning."

"Okay then…" The queen says, with a little suspicion evident in her voice, "Just don't get worked up too much about it."

Barran then goes to the doors, looking back on her husband as Boron then takes his place at his desk and then starts writing some things down. She then just decides to leave it be, knowing how much it can strike home with their former lives as aristocrat children. She then leaves out the doors, which then close behind her as she pulls them shut. Now, they would usually only use one door, at least, but it seems to be a different mood today. Especially as the news did not exactly help on this cold evening of the middle of winter.

On the desk, rest the box that contains the medals that, as he heard, were stripped from Alexander like ripping out feathers. Even if they represent honour and otherwise nobility, they still are contradictory when the man himself wore them, he eventually dishonoured what those medals meant, and went to the all-time low that night when they were turned against everything he had once defended in the war against them, but aiding them take control… Not even Allomere can compare to treachery done by this one owl alone.

Daring to lift the lid of the box, picking it up before placing it aside with much care, even taken to these darn medallions awarded to a foolhardy traitor. Looking on these reminders of a past he wanted to forget shining at him as if they still did the night he left the North and turned his back on his controlling, traditionalist father that he know to be the least manipulative than to be an out and out traitor.

"Whenever he wore these bloody medals, they were no more than a disguise from the true evil and treachery he had in his heart." Boron says, looking down on the offending material inside the box, "I'll burn them if I have to, have them destroyed as I am not letting my son take these _things_ by the time I'm dead and gone. I'm not giving him this burden, not when I have done enough already."

* * *

Winter in the canyons, a time when everything seems dusted lightly in a shade of white, but they have not it as bad as anywhere like the tundra up north most mornings aside from a cold breeze that blows through. Of course, most evenings, waking up to it like waking up to the conditions she lived in for half of her life in The North, Nyra would rather sleep than have to get up, and call it no hurry either since it's only early, and cuddling with her husband is pretty sweet too aside from sleep. It's just one of those things that you could never understand when you were younger when being told one day about love when you were supposed to be an aristocrat, born be no more than to be traded and otherwise married off to some highborn bastard that could bring you no true happiness or affection whatsoever. Moreover, from the looks of the first marriage, it still looks like the concept is only still new to her, even in a year since moving on with her life but since dying only a few months before now. The emotional trauma she had sustained from possession, nearly giving up and then spending nearly 10 minutes dead with a gaping slash through her body and her blood everywhere it could get… She has all but now suffers from post-traumatic stress as the result, but like most of the bad evens that have happened the last year and a half, she has just suppressed it away and to move on.

Kludd wakes up and affectionately kisses his wife, "Evening, my beautiful wife of mine."

"What's got you into a good mood this evening?" Nyra asks

"Oh, nothing really… I just feel happy that I get to wake up next to the most beautiful owl in all the kingdoms." He replies, receiving a small smile from his wife, "You going to lie here all morning?"

"If only you were like this most nights during meetings maybe the process would be a bit better." She then says, sitting up a bit

"I don't even like half of the bloody council, Nyra. How am I supposed to get along with them?" Kludd answers in a slight uproar, sitting up to be at par with her height

"Sometimes you can't have it your own way, dear and we need those owls for the embitterment of the empire. Sure, they may be a little… disagreeable and sometimes a little against most of your decisions, but the council is the council." Nyra says, being as honest about her husband's attitude toward their otherwise affiliates of the ranks as delicately as she can

"Yeah, and that is why I want to throw them out the window." He then counters, before taking a deep breath and relaxing, pulling Nyra close to him and kissing her head, "You know, I like mornings like this."

"Yeah, so do I, especially as it is turning out as one hagsmire of a winter, like when I used to live in…" She agrees, before falling silent and breathing a deep sigh to the last few words that would have ended that sentence, pulling herself away, "I think I might get up…"

"What's wrong?" Kludd asks, noticing this sudden change of mood in his wife as she pulls away from his embrace, "Hey, what's the matter?"

The queen pulls on an ice blue cape on her shoulders, acting a little shaky, "Kludd, I don't-"

The husband comes beside the snow coloured owl and takes her by the shoulders, her immediate reaction looking away from his eyes, "Nyra, I told you that you could tell me anything after that night and damn as well I'm an owl of my word so… What is wrong, my queen?"

"It's too reminiscent of the North, this winter…" She replies, uneasy before looking at her husband directly, "Kludd, are you happy? And I mean truly and answer with honesty as I know when you lie."

"Of course I am, why I wouldn't be would be beyond my reasoning as I am a king, warrior…" He answers, the queen rolling her eyes amusedly at the 'warrior' part as he has been injured more times than victorious in combat and she nursed most of those wounds herself, "…And I married the most beautiful, most intelligent and skilled fighter within the whole of the Tytonic Union. If I were to contemplate a divorce, Glaumora forbid, or send you away for that long on the other side of the world… I would kill myself because I would never want to see the one thing that gave me a new purpose in life and the one woman who means the world to me vanishing before my eyes."

Nyra looks away, "I just… It is just something about winter that reminds me of-"

A knock interrupts Nyra as Kludd's attention is drawn elsewhere to the visitor, calling them to enter when it is only just a mere servant and messenger to the least. It seems that duty doesn't take a breather these cold winter mornings either.

"My lord, my lady, yours and in addition, Lady Elanore, presences are requested in the throne room." The servant says

"Oh what is this about now?" Kludd says, walking over to the dressing table where his helm rest, "If it's another issue that they have against my laws I have just implemented, tell them that my word is final and they can shove it."

"What my mate means to say is who are they and what they want." Nyra says to the messenger, herself preoccupied with getting her husband a cape

"It's actually Lord Alexander who requests your presences." The messenger then informs them

"Who the bloody hagsmire is this 'Lord Alexander?" the king then asks, a little peevish in his voice as some 'lord' has just interrupted his morning peace by requesting his and his wife's presences. At this early in the evening when barely the sun has gone down and the moon yet to rise, "Nyra, do you know of this owl or should I show what my new sword can do if it's some prick that-"

"Do tell him that we shall be there promptly." The queen instructs to the messenger, interrupting her husband before he could even think of finishing that sentence, "And do at least tell Elanore she better be wearing a cape when I see her. The last thing I want is for her to get sick."

The messenger bows, "Will do, my lady."

The mere servant leaves the chamber as the queen then keeps looking through a pile before coming across something for her husband to wear. Even if she as a Northerner born and bred can stand winter and the cold mayn't bother her too much anyway either, the main concern here is that no one gets sick any more than they should during the winter months. She comes over to her husband as he fixes his helm. This is about the third one he is on now since losing her first husband's helm in his plunge over the waterfall in Rosewood and by now it has never been recovered and the second he had ended up breaking nearly in half during the Second Siege of Ga'Hoole a few months ago. They can only hope that by the third incarnation of a helm it will be the charm, because even Nyra does not think that the blacksmith is too happy having to make their king a new helm two times now.

"Who is Alexander, Nyra?" Kludd promptly asks

"One of our former business partners from Metalbeak's reign…" Nyra answers while placing her husband's cape over his shoulders, giving the least of a brief summary about this one fellow, "He was quite the informant back in those days… Even if I only knew him when I only _just_ had married, when the North was ten years ours by then. Of course, that was before he got himself captured by the UKO and their bloody underground resistance."

"Yeah and what's he doing here then?" He asks, with a great deal of annoyance to hear about _another_ one of their past informants, "So is he anything like that other little prick, that bloody Ramaxon idiot?"

"No, Metalbeak got what he wanted from this one: the whole of the Northern Kingdoms with as much possibility as he wanted for his expanding empire and the title of Lord High Tyto of the Pure Ones and the King of The North. Otherwise, a place to send me to live near permanently for three years of our marriage for no apparent reasons given." She answers, though grimly when she mentions the last part

"It will never happen again, so it's better to leave the past in the past." Kludd says, kissing her head on his way to the door, "Now come on, we better see this one if he 'used' to be working with your first husband."

Taking his queen under his wing, they exit the chamber and walk down the corridors of this majestic stone castle that is all but the crown jewel of the Pure Ones. It is one thing to be ruler of a whole empire that has been a thousand years in the running and many kings before him being rulers, but for as much history as the other Pure One palaces such as Shadow Pass and the Palace of Darkness; he thinks that St. Aegolius has a little more... Resilience in its running as unlike the others, it is still standing in whole and still standing as used to this day unlike the two others. –Both abandoned and otherwise weathered through the ages when foretold in stories of their history as grand palaces in their day.

He only hopes that Nyra retains any of the resilience she possesses which is at the level of this castle in her strength and will to carry on in the darkest hours. After those events, back months ago back in March primarily something that he can only imagine she could try to move on from all that happened. He could not imagine a life without his beloved, and seeing her that night where he almost lost her was heart wrenching. He clung to her limp, bloody and torn body as she all but faded away and he could have done nothing about it. If it was not for the compassion that _she _had shown to him and bringing her back, he would have been the one left behind this time and the one left with a kingdom to run... Nevertheless, only Nyra's "daughter" to look after, as his last among words to his beloved was that he would take care of Elanore, as she would have passed on.

"Elanore."

Nyra immediately perks up and parts from Kludd's side to greet her daughter by wrapping her wings around her girl with a warm and too protective hug. Recently than a few months ago, Elanore had turned fifteen and as much as she appeared to have grown compared to images Nyra had from when this now young woman graced her presence as a nine year old, she still hugs her "mother" as if nothing has changed between the years. Kludd knows how much Nyra cares about her, even acknowledging their otherwise adoptive relationship as so, and he just knows simply that Nyra will be a perfect mother to any of their children.

"I see you got my extra sidenote." Nyra says, fixing up the young lady's cape to sit a little less than terribly on her shoulders, "Now, being a lady means that you have to dress accordingly and now that it's the middle of winter means that I only want you to stay warm."

"It's too early..." Elanore complains with a yawn, stretching her wings, "Why did they summon us so early, Nyra?"

"Well, we'll see, dear." The queen replies, patting the younger one on her head, "I'm sure my young general can handle an early wakeup call, hm?"

The group of owls enter the throne room from the side entrance and fly over to the throne at the head of the room. Kludd sits dead centre with his wife to his right and his general to his left. All but looking the picture of sophistication for the first impression for their visitor as the throne room doors at the back of the room open upon Kludd's order to do so. In through the doors comes one of their most important double agents within the whole of their empire. From what he has been told, at one point prior to now hearing this name being mentioned within the court, hearing of how he toppled the Northern Kingdom's monarchy within a night. He did not know until now that this is the Alexander they mentioned one night to him during the gathering of his court. However, he can contradict everything they said, as unlike the former Lyze of Kiel, turned Ezylryb, turned Prince of Ambala, who is almost no less around the same age, Alexander does not exactly look the part of one of their famous champions for the Pure One side. Not counting that it has been only _just_ twenty years since the coup happened, Kludd gazes down, but all he sees is a ragged and otherwise crude older owl with a torn sash underneath his cape. –All but looking like some sort of tragic irony when he thought he knew of better when it came to a legend when he saw one from looking at the "heroes" of the Ga'Hoole side who have throne-blocked him on few occasions now.

Suddenly, Kludd sees that the girls have up and left from his side, approaching their ally that has not been anywhere near here in years as he enters the room approaching the throne. Not even thinking of moving, Kludd just remains where he is at, standing his ground that he is wary on this one.

"My word, Nyra, it has been years since I last saw you." Alexander says with a courteous bow to his queen, "Permission to hug for old time's sake?"

Nyra hugs the snowy owl, unbeknownst to them behind the queen, Kludd is all but glaring daggers down to this owl, "Granted, definitely. Glaumora above it _has_ been that long hasn't it?"

"But the years have been kind of you, my queen. Nothing has changed since I last saw you those years ago." The snowy gentleman then complements, hugging the queen back

"Where have you been for this near decade since we last saw you?" The queen asks, as soon as they part from the informal gesture

"Well, you know me, eight years in and then suddenly something happens and... well... I've spent the last ten years in prison rotting away before that child queen of theirs, Lydea Schana, no less the one restarting the dynasty, exiled me instead of putting my head on a spike." Alexander replies as he paces a bit, "So, what happened to Lord Metalbeak? I heard that news and frankly, he met his fate too, too soon and I wish I would have sent my sympathies, Nyra, I wish I could of."

Kludd glares down at their guest, _"He dares bring up Nyra's deceased husband when she has been no more spent a whole year in mourning before now? What kind of 'ally' is he then?"_

"Metalbeak was killed during the fight between us and the Guardians..." Nyra dismayingly sighs as she answers, recounting the least of the events of her first husband's demise, "Oh how every night I spend mourning his very death and lay flowers on his grave most Sundays... Of course, I have moved on myself otherwise, with my husband, Kludd, supporting me every step of the way."

"I am sorry, Nyra, truly I-" Alexander says before coming to a pause, when he first lays his eyes on the young lady beside his queen, before picking her up and whirling her around spontaneously "Lady Elanore, is that really you? As I live and breathe, you have grown so much!"

Elanore giggles as he twirls her around before placing her down, her mother in the background also in a somewhat fray of laughs as last time he saw young Elanore, she was only but a young girl at that after his first initial aided escape from the prison in the North. He was only around the young one for five days before the Underground stormed their base there, took him back and took a few more with them.

"My, you've grown so much, lass. I'd think that Nyra has raised you as a lady well enough that you'd make an elegant young lady of the aristocracy." Alexander then says, as he places down the daughter of the Pure Ones

Elanore subtly blushes, but not forgetting her manors, "Thank you, my lord."

"Why are you here?"

Alexander and the girls look up to Kludd, who finally manages to get his word in on the matter at hand, keeping strictly to business. Unlike his the other two, he has been the one keeping on track and all but biding his time until he could actually get a word in when he feels need to.

"I repeat, why are you here?" Kludd asks, peering down with disapproval, "You have the nerve to show up here after losing contact for ten years, and you have the nerve to ask my queen about her first husband's death?"

"Well, someone is acting so hostile." Alexander remarks

"I have to say the same, Kludd. It's not like you to act so hostile to an ally." Nyra adds

"I won't explain my angle, Nyra. You and Elanore, come back right now." Kludd orders sternly, the two girls then coming back beside him in some disappointment, "And as for you, I ask again, why are you here? Answer me or I will not hesitate allowing for the UKO to get you again."

The snowy owl slowly walks toward the throne, "Well, in the light of your hostility and somewhat terrible mood this evening I'll keep it brief. I would like to reinstate my position in the Pure Ones as Northern Commander of our disassembled Pure One faction in the North. Their existence, though I have lost contact with them in the ten years I was imprisoned, still remains, but as an underground, otherwise at risk grouping smaller than they used to be back in our golden days. And to sweeten my claims, I have information about my son and other Northern and their sister, the Ambalan born members of the Ga'Hoole command."

"Tell me, who _is_ your son, Alexander?" The king asks, intrigued for the least that this sorry colleague has a son

"A traitor to my family name and otherwise a little brat who knew nothing about anything and my daughter-in-law is no better." The snowy owl replies, not hesitating an answer, "That whore who calls herself a Goddess turned him against me and everything he had and could have had as I planned his whole life out for him to achieve what greatness he could have through marrying the current queen's aunt. If not, he could have achieved much more if he would have had much more when I took over the North of the late High Tyto Metalbeak."

"Oh Kludd, we must celebrate his return!" Nyra exclaims, jabbing her husband in the side

"Yeah, please, Kludd, please." Elanore agrees with her "mother", begging like a child

"No, we're not just throwing a party! And who said I made my mind up anyway if he shall return?" Kludd snaps, looking to the both of them sternly

"Ah, if you could excuse us a minute..."

Nyra pushes Kludd from the throne, making him almost fall to the ground before fluttering to stabilise himself for a proper landing. He then looks up, Nyra has disappeared before feeling a sudden push from behind him, his wife is telling him to go and he simply stands in protest. She grabs his wing, dragging him across the room as the guards open the door for them. Still dragging him out the doors, she doesn't let go until the doors close and that is when he forces his wing from her grip.

"We're not just throwing a party for an owl who has been in prison the last ten years and the fact that he is a general of a devastated Northern faction of ours means nothing, Nyra." Kludd protests, knowing why she pulled him aside, "We celebrate things if they are celebratory, such as when we celebrated Elanore turning fifteen a few months ago. A birthday is a celebration, not welcoming some idiot into _my_ army."

"You can't just decide when we can or can't hold a party?" Nyra retorts, making a statement for at least her side of the argument

"Yes I can, because I don't even trust him." He harshly snaps, rejecting every little plea she has for this celebration to go on

"The party will go ahead as planned, no matter what you say." She says as she walks past with her head held high, "And if you keep being like this, I'm going to sleep in my own chamber tonight because you're being a brat!"

She then pushes open the doors that she had just exited from a few moments ago, her head still held high in somewhat pride for her win and otherwise just for general snobbery against her husband. Kludd then enters behind her, in an even worse mood than he had when he first came to this summons this early in the evening.

_"__I'm acting brattish? She's the one acting like a child here."_ Kludd mutters to himself in protest of what had happened

"I'll have Elanore prepare a space for you." Nyra says to Alexander, upon coming back to the throne room

"Right away." Elanore obediently says with a nod of respect to Nyra

"Seriously?" Kludd scoffs, still in demonstrations against the matter, before he is shot a look from his wife of his, "I _won't_ let it happen and I reserve judgement on the matter."

Kludd and Elanore both leave the chamber though either one of the access ways in. However, unlike Elanore, who is following her orders as Nyra's lady in waiting, Kludd all but storms in in anger as he should be the one who gets final say on everything. He says it to the council and he says it to her that he is the one with the power at the end of the day. To have this owl, this owl who they haven't seen in basically ten years suddenly come back, no less someone he hasn't even met and already doesn't trust be thrown a party. –And yet it is a sign that his wife is a regent, not a consort and never has been a consort and never will be a consort.

* * *

Pulling himself away from the office, Boron does not exactly know what he is doing, but only knows that he is away from the medals that he almost has spent half of an hour staring at. The News about his father could not have come at a worse time than during one of their coldest winters so far. During one of their busiest GTA term in ages and when the UKO is in the middle of an assembly that has to do with the ever-prominent Pure One threat that has all but escalated over the last near year since the Rosewood attacks three months after Metalbeak's death.

"Boron, I've been running by the things that our representative has sent over and they're planning to work with the resistance in Kuneer and Rosewood to-" Ezylryb mentions before coming to a pause, when he looks at the worried expression on Boron's face, "You know I know already about what happened. Even when married into royalty now, I still have ways of knowing what happens."

"It's bad enough the last time I ever saw my mother was when she told me that he was a traitor to a kingdom he once was proud to be a lord and defender of." Boron mutters, unhappy to say the least of what he is feeling about this whole ordeal

"If Alexander knows what is at least good for him, that I seem to doubt, he will not set claw or talon in Ga'Hoole without being met with a sword. Of course, I'd consider it that Barran would be the one wielding it as she wants to kill him for what he did." The screech owl prince states

"And that's something else I'm worried about: my wife killing my father." The snowy owl king then says, only making it worse, "I can already imagine her carving him into a million pieces, with two swords."

"Barran is a smart woman, Boron. I don't imagine that she'll do such a thing as she doesn't hold hatred in her heart." Ezylryb states

Boron places his wing to his forehead, "But Glaumora above, I think I need a drink."

"I actually agree on that one. Autumn's been driving me crazy over the last couple weeks and I can hope that it's just a phase she's going through." Ezylryb nods with agreement

"And I already know where Barran keeps the wine in the Parliament, so basically maybe some well-deserved downtime is needed." The king then says

Ezylryb rolls his eyes, "Typical Barran and her games of hide and seek. If you are turning my goddaughter into an alcoholic, I swear I am going to smack you upside the head. You're not too old or too powerful to receive a wack over the back of the head."

Boron laughs, opening the door to the parliament chamber, "And I'd be willing to cop it if you did, and not press charges."

* * *

Kludd paces around the throne room around the middle of the night. It was a few hours ago that he has had to bear witness to his wife pretty much taking the control out of his hands and allowing for this former ally, this Lord Alexander of Snowy Tyto, to end up coming back and has decided otherwise to plan a party for him. Every so often, he keeps hearing of things to do with this celebration and it just bothers him that they are throwing a party, that he both disapproves of and he has no word in the planning at all when clearly, this is not what he wanted at all. Nor does he seem to have any word in this matter at all, as it is going ahead no matter how many times he may object.

He has cancelled the council meeting this morning, as he could only imagine them telling him to allow for this former commander and the traitor who betrayed the North to return to command of their armies and rebuild their Northern faction and whatnot... The very idea one that he does not seem to agree with and does not imagine he will. He trusted someone only a few months before and look where it had got him there. He was played as a fool and betrayed; his wife possessed by the demonic whore and Mordecai allowed it and just used him so he could get what he wanted. Moreover then, Aura had used the both of them and Nyra to get what she wanted as well. He would never want to see any of that again, not the siege, but his wife dying in his arms and having no way to save her. –If he were to trust Alexander, get into a situation like that again or worse... If it were the other way around and he would be flying toward the light and away from his beloved Nyra and leaving her all alone again.

The chamber doors open and Nyra enters, with a board, paper and quill underneath her wing. Of course as the planner and otherwise hostess of most of the social events of the Pure Ones, as her main duties as queen, aside from her obligations as a commander of their army, she has always find a way to organise these events and the organising of the organising.

"Kludd, I have to run by you some of the schedule changes for when the ball is..." Nyra declares as she enters, before noticing Kludd is pacing, "You're pacing; is something the matter, dear?"

"I don't trust him." Kludd rashly puts it out there, still pacing back and forth

"Oh Kludd, give him a chance." She appeals, while going through her notes, "It would be for the good of the kingdom if we have the right allies on our side and in the years he did serve under Metalbeak as the General of the North, he was an important asset to our 18-year Northern rule."

He pauses and looks toward her, "Nyra, I just can't, okay... Ever since Mordecai and everything that happened to you six months ago, I cannot just willingly trust someone. Especially if they make promises of glory and all else if it will if it will mean you'll get hurt in any way."

"Kludd it's not your fault for everything that happened. Aura made me do it." Nyra consoles

"Who I can blame for that happened, not Mordecai or Aura, but I blame myself." Kludd mutters, turning his head to face away from his wife, "I let them use me and then... You could have died if she didn't bring you back."

Nyra walks over and places her wings around him, holding him close, "You shouldn't blame yourself, and you shouldn't dwell on it, not anymore. You told me yourself that we should move on from the past, acknowledge it and look toward the future."

"I just... I just cannot do that, Nyra. Not this time if it means that I could lose you again and to lose you... It could hurt me like nothing else ever has, excluding the leg injury that time." Kludd mutters, wrapping his wings around his wife, "Just... Do what you will, but if my decision is final, I just wish you'd respect that instead of assuming my command."

"I know, but... At least try Kludd." His queen says, parting away and picking up her paperwork, "I know you think it's a bad idea, but... I think you need something to take your mind off of everything going on in the kingdom at the moment."

Kludd almost brutally snatches the paperwork from his wife and reluctantly signs on the changes and whatnot to approve the party going ahead. Without another, or even a word otherwise, he hands the papers back to Nyra and she has a grateful smile on her face which is the queen's way of saying "Thank you for tolerating my decisions made". She affectionately kisses her husband on the cheek and heads off without another word, as planning a party takes a lot of work and in the short space of time she has, she may as well spend every second onto it and preparing the ballroom for this event. Short notice, yes, but she calls it a gift of her upbringing as an Northern Aristocrat for about nearly eight years before her parents decided on the other side of the fight. Her parents commanders and nobles within the Inner Circle up until the night they died, she retains all of her Northern heritage they never hesitated to teach her.

Nyra smiles as she looks over her list, _"I hope Alex will appreciate how close I will go to a traditional Northern ball with the Pure One twist... Or I will be so pissed if he dares mock the work I am doing and claws will be swung..."_

* * *

"Oh bugger, this is a real pain in the tailfeathers sometimes!"

Barran slams down her school textbooks and whatnot on the desk, a loud thud sounding out and echoing through the study, as even she cannot believe how much she has had to do today in classes. 'Give it a minute and the guards would come in asking if I was alright' she often says when they end up placing more than their total weight down in a room that echoes half the time. But the only time it ever was an almost emergency was when some of the shelves went down when a nine year old Josh decided to use books as a sort of way to get to something they put up to keep out of his way. The boy was all right, although scaring the hagsmire out of her and her husband as they thought their son could have gotten probably seriously hurt or worse, brought the whole room down on top of him.

When looking over the books to hope she got them all, she finds a letter underneath them with the crest of the Schana on it. Barran moves them aside and picks it up, knowing that it is from her son, Josh. Often most months, she does get a letter from her son, but most of the time, she is the one sending him things to the North, most of the time pleading for him to come down for some sort of event or holiday. The last time he was down was for Ezylryb and Autumn's wedding back in March, and although Boron says he is a busy with things up the North, things aside from being a stay-at-home father, but what does he know when he doesn't usually talk with their son half of the time. She just asks that he come home at least once or twice every few months, the least she can ask for when her son lives so far away now that he has grown up and has celebrated his joint birthday he shares with wife, Lydea, a week or two back, turning twenty. She opens the letter and immediately there is a small portrait of her granddaughter, Sina, on her second birthday a little while back and one of Josh and Lydea at their birthday ball (something that she requested immediately done, as she wants more photos for her collection).

_"__To Queen Barran of Ga'Hoole,_

_Dear Mother,_

_I am sorry for such a delay with a reply, but things have been a little busy up here in the tundra. Sina loved the gift you sent up for her for her birthday, she mayn't understand what it means yet, but what she thinks of it is that it is very shiny in the moonlight. Lydea thought of it as thoughtful herself, as she does have a connection to Ga'Hoole as much as she has with being a Northerner. Weather lately has been cold and snowy, Sina having fun in the snow most nights when her mother has the time. Thankfully, she has not gotten sick or anything, a sign that she is a descendant, but then again, like you say, Northerners are almost cold resistant. –I still have to get used to it even after two years._

_The weather seemed to clear up for around the ball, Lydea finally got to do a duty that has been at least enjoyable since half of the time she has been busy with the rebuilding projects and whatnot. You would think after two years that it would be done, but... frankly; it is not and maybe will not be for a few years to come by the sounds of it. However, after eighteen years of Pure One rule and having to move the main capitol to Snowflake Palace two years ago now, I guess it had to move and change with it. The ruins of the old palace remain to this day, and were converted into a memorial site and Lydea and I went there first half of the day to pay our respects to her parents and for the others who died on the Coup. It was but just the two of us there at that time and Lydea... She remained calm about it even when I know it breaks her heart seeing it._

_I've thought it time that I come down since Sina always mentions you and dad half the time and she says the most adorable things, this owlet, I swear to Glaux, and I guess it is a sign that she misses you both. So I'd hope you'd be prepared this time as last time you spent half of it with a hangover before and after the wedding and Sina gets disappointed when she can't spend time with her grandmother and let's just hope dad's not busy as she has to seriously spend more time with the darn guy for once. Busy or not, he is spending time with Sina for once._

_Speaking of dad, Is he okay, mum? Seriously, tell me honestly, because I heard what happened, you both can't shield me from this truth, and I had to know sometime. My own wife having to tell me that my own grandfather, dad's own dad, betrayed the kingdom to the Pure Ones and killed more than just her parents that night... It is sickening to say the least of how much he has done against a kingdom and I just wonder if dad could have taken that news well. –Lydea couldn't kill him, she couldn't, and I admire the least of humility she shows given the circumstance to let someone live that has done so much, but... he should have died than what the impact of his living has on dad, which I imagine is a great burden._

_Just... write me back when you get this and make sure you darn as well be a little more prepared this time. Who knows where this war could be going, mum, seriously, and the Pure Ones seem too much of a threat after two sieges against the tree now and I wouldn't want you both dying when Sina is this young without spending much time with her grandparents._

_With love (and to father too may he be well in these dark nights of uncertainty),_

_Prince Josh of Ga'Hoole_

_Your Son, Josh."_

Barran places down the letter beside her, closing it up as she begins on her reply. She can hope on finding some words to say in response, penning down everything she can think of and more for at least something to say in reply for the most of the questions he asked her and the statements she can answer with a response to.

_"__To Prince Josh of Ga'Hoole,_

_Dear my beloved Son, Josh,_

_I am glad that Sina liked her present, since I spent ages at least scribbling down a design I wanted for that pendant in between marking midterms and whatnot else I had to handle. Believe me, if you father found all those designs, he could swear I was procrastinating when I had things to mark, chaws to lead, lessons to plan and a kingdom to-"_

"Barran, where is the mail? I got sent through something that Ezylryb wanted me to check out about the UKO stuff going on at the moment he was telling me about earlier."

Barran looks up from the letter she is writing and Boron is looking through some piles of paperwork, and looking to be in a better mood since this morning when she last saw him. Moreover, the first thing she is picking up is that he is going through the wrong piles, clearly, when some of the letters were sitting over where she has placed down her books.

"That's the wrong table; the letters are over near my books, dear." Barran replies, continuing with her writing, "And Boron, something from Josh has come through. He's planning on coming down for a few days with Sina."

Boron then looks through the mess on the desk, "Oh... Well that is nice. I'll have to remember that when I have the capacity to, which at the moment I don't think I have."

"Oh, so you don't want to have your granddaughter down for a visit then? I'm writing the reply right now you know..." Barran says, contradicting the tone of voice he is giving her, "Oh and I don't suppose that you have been drinking then."

"Oh I have not!" He retorts, while reading the communiqué, which Ezylryb has passed on for him, "And I would be happy to have Sina down, but I'm bloody as well too busy at the moment with both monarchy duties and the personal crisis I am going through at the moment. And does it look like I have time right now to be drinking?"

"Oh please, you're a terrible liar sometimes." She states, turning her head to face her husband, "I can tell when you've been drinking as you seem to always get a little more erratic and otherwise keep forgetting simple things half of the time."

He wraps his wings around his wife, "And that is what I love about you sometimes."

"Now you have to behave as a king, you hear me." She replies, tapping him lightly on the head with a scroll sitting next to her, "Because you're supposed to be serious and everything remember, while I'm the one more likely to help herself to wine and be the childish one outside of politics and ruling."

"And yet I'm supposed to be the fun one, remember?" Boron says with a pout that could be all too comical, "Because it's been a hard enough night for me and you won't let it be until i am serious."

Barran rolls her eyes, "Oh dear... I just wonder where you are going with this. Now, I don't want to find you awake at two in the afternoon reading, because you need your sleep, alright."

"That hasn't happened since about three years ago and that was when I was trying to cram enough French in my brain as I could before meeting the Ambalan Queen Dowager..." Boron argues, defending his case, "...But then again, it doesn't help that I am almost completely incapable of going around language barriers now."

"Are we sure this isn't an early mid-life crisis?" She asks, finishing off her letter and sealing it, getting up from her desk, "Don't stay up too late with the paperwork either."

"Oh I won't, and I don't think talking down is exactly nice either." Boron says to his wife

She shoots him a look, staring for a full thirty seconds before leaving the study to send the letter through to the North. Boron just ends up plonking himself at the desk, looking over some of the paperwork with a sigh. From the looks of things, it doesn't exactly help that so many things are happening at once, and most of the communiqués from the Outpost and all else are all telling the Great Tree to be on its talons considering what has happened and considering how much retaliation against them has been going on in the intervals between months.

Considering how terrible the weather is some nights, the Pure Ones would not even dare try to attack in the winter... Even they have their limits on what they can and cannot do and one of them is all to do with winter, but there has been some heightened activity... although reported to have most of their patrols and whatnot interfered because of the snowfall.

Boron places his wing to his head, _"Why did this have to happen now... Why did he have to live as I already can tell as to where he will be going... If only someone lopped off __**his**__ head during the coup so none of this could happen... I know Lydea would hesitate killing him, as a pacifist and out of respect for my family... Nevertheless, if he ever comes here, or hurts my family, I'll make sure that he doesn't live to see the spring come."_

Boron deeply sighs as he picks up his quill and begins on his pile of work... For at least it is something that can at least take his mind of something that not even wine can.


	3. Chapter 3:Honour, Titles and Inheritance

Chapter 3: Honours, Titles and Inheritance

In the early nightfall over the St. Aegolius Base, a break in the bad weather finally come along after a few days of strong winds and terrible weather that cancelled some training, prevented and interfered some patrols around the area and redirected others and caused chaos for the commanders between it all. Nyra is outside in the royal courtyard one evening, somewhat at peace with the world as she paces around with only Elanore with her. She is dressed somewhat appropriately for cold weather in an ice blue cape trimmed with fluff around the hood and the edges, and a darker light blue scarf around her neck tucked underneath the cape. The hood remains down and the cape trailing behind her as she walks around the area. Unlike for most of the year, the courtyard where she would spend most night from spring through to autumn is mostly white and is bleak and almost barren, depraved of the beauty it once had for nine of twelve months. Even if it is the one thing Metalbeak gave her that was the only other true sign of life even in this almost bleak, canyon lands, in winter it just is upsetting to say the least.

Elanore takes a breath, drawing her bow, it always seems like she is training, but to at least keep up at her game, she practices most nights she has the time. Her mentor always tells her that she has a gift, her Rosewood blood and her small amount of early training that she did before they learn to fly in the resistance culture. Nyra says that she can utilise her gift on the battlefield. It sets her apart and is most admirable amongst the soldiers -a primary choice why she was so favoured to become a commander no less General- but she has to train it to get herself fully she can if she wants to maintain it. This means that some mornings, even now in the middle of a brutal winter, she stands outside in the courtyard and fires arrows to targets across the area training. Especially trying to the long shot she so desperately is trying to shot at with three arrows now.

She breathes slowly, the arrows propelled from her grip and sent flying through the air across the courtyard until they land in a target, and all three on it from this far distance, piercing through. Her target she is using, the Soren effigy that Kludd, one night drunken as all Hagsmire below and Glaumora above, requested made and given to him that October. That is, before chopping off its head and deciding that he would gladly donate the notion to the young general to practice on.

"Well done considering that it was placed at nearly 200 metres away." Nyra comments, walking over from her stroll, "Could have aimed a little higher, but your long distance is still only intermediate, so we shouldn't worry too much on the details."

"So I did good?" Elanore asks

"Good, rather excellent I'd say. You must train this girl better than half the soldiers, Nyra."

"She is their general and her potential as a Rosewood-born is one reason why I teach her myself in these private lessons." Nyra answers, turning his head, "And she is all but all my daughter, my owlet who means all but the world to me."

Alexander enters and the young general nods her head with respect, Nyra looking down amused as her owlet's hood is sent flying back and forth her head for even how gently she can do this sort of thing. The queen fixes up the hood on this all but smaller red version of her own attire, fixing it to sit neatly and comfortably on her head again. She all but mothers the girl, taking her in from a young age of nine to have all what an owlet of hers would have –if it were a girl that is as no boy would be one getting beautiful capes and handmade headpieces and enough jewels and whatnot equal to a princess.

"And what are you doing up this early in the evening then?" Nyra asks, finding it odd that recent exiled enemy of the Northern Kingdoms, Ga'Hoole and otherwise who had spent all this time flying here almost literally non-stop, would not be resting

"Well, milady, I never was one to rest unless I was unfortunate upon an injury and deathly ill. Something that the Northern Faction always believed in was never wasting our time." Alexander answers, approaching the pair

"So have you heard any word from your allies in the North at all since both your imprisonment and your exile?" The queen enquires

"They've tried, oh how they have tried, but the thing about that prison is, it's in the middle of a tad bit of uncivilised territories of the North, far north-easterly of the Southern Winter Palace, and getting any sort of communication to them, no less to the North in general…" The snowy lord replies, shaking his head, "Aside from my lack of communique, what matters is, is that we may be able to support this army by rekindling our Northern Faction as best we can even in the reach of this bloody winter."

"You'll have to speak of that to my mate." Nyra says, turning her head to the effigy, "That, good owl, is what he would want to do to owls that go against him… That is if he can even get his claws on this bastard he had immortalised in this training dummy."

Alexander looks toward it with much amusement, "So the sorry bastard is more a training dummy?"

"It's the one owl he hates more than anything…" Elanore states, raising her bow again and firing, in the expanse of time another set of three arrows pierce through the target it comes to a pause, "And he hopes someday that he will take vengeance for what he did to us…"

"And I do wish I could have been here for you girls. It must have been so... terrible I simply cannot imagine anything worse that would have happen in my mind compared to bearing witness to your mate, and your almost father die." The snowy owl says with a saddened shake of his head, "I may sometime wish to pay my respects to Surtr if I can... Even if I am a year too late on them."

"I try not think back on that night to be honest... The memory pains me something... worse than any physical pain I could endure. Worse than even dying..." The queen says, trying not to think too much of that night a year and a half ago

Alexander places his wings around the former commander's wife, holding her close as she begins to cry thinking about the events of the night and watching her husband die right in front of her is a memory that still torments her to this day, even when she has moved on so much. Kludd looks down with a discerning eye of disapproval from the balcony above. Just watching disgusts him as he simply does not trust this figure unlike his wife and he just looks down with daggers in his eyes as he has just mentioned an off-limits topic no less has that owl having his wings around his wife.

* * *

Music, dancing and merriment coming from the ballroom of the Pure One Palace as the celebrations commence during the early hours of the morning. Nyra really did go all out in short notice for this event as everything may look like it has been planned for months, but really, it just was planned barely a couple nights before. All of it a little reminiscent of a Northern traditional ball with how much it reflects on both the traditions and otherwise of the Queen being placed into the event, but being as they are the Pure Ones, it lacks most of the conventions a Northern ball would have. Upon arrival, Alexander is otherwise given a somewhat royalistic introduction and a warm reception by the attendees as he enters. He seems actually impressed by how much work Nyra has placed into the planning in such short notice, and how much detail she has gone to make it close to what would be a ball in their homeland.

_"__Presenting their imperial highnesses, his highness Lord Kludd, Lord High Tyto of the Pure Ones, his wife, her pureness, Queen Nyra of the Pure Ones and the general, Lady Elanore Camille Brix of Rosewood Tyto."_

As it seems, the standing ovation nearly almost goes to the official party as they enter and then assume their places at the head of the room at the throne with Kludd taking his place at the centre with Nyra to his right and Elanore to his left before the attention is drawn elsewhere when the celebrations continue. Alexander approaches the official party, if not especially to the Queen who planned this celebration in honour of him and bows with respect.

"My, I must complement on your efforts, Queen Nyra and milord Kludd... And I gratefully thank you both for the warm welcome. You sure do know how to throw a party." Alexander complements, rising from his bow

"No thank you needed, Alex, it is the least we could do." Nyra says with a proud smile

"Oh please, you didn't throw me a party when I came back until my coronation." Kludd snaps, harshly with great disapproval as he remains distant, even so far as refusing eye contact with the snowy owl guest of honour

"Oh come on, Kludd..." Nyra frowns, with much disapproval over how her husband is really dampening the mood

"Well then... moving on then... If I may, I would like to have the first dance of the night with young Lady Elanore." Alexander says, before bowing down with respect, leaving the young general quite apprehensive to say the least, "Would you care to dance, milady?"

"Oh, that sounds like a lovely idea." The queen says, her mood immediately lightened before she looks over to her daughter, "And what do you think of it, Elanore? Come on; do not be flustered about it dear. You should go and dance and have a little fun and it would be good practice."

"I would love to, Lord Alexander." Elanore replies, still anxious about it, but sounding the least bit formal

Elanore steps down and takes the older owl's wing as the music then stops for them to come to the middle of the ballroom to join the rest of them. The young woman still a little flustered about it as she takes the first position in the dance and looks back to her foster mother, who then gives her the encouraging smile and nod before the music starts again. The pair begins to dance, Nyra looks on with advisement and some admiration as her little girl seems to be a natural.

"Oh isn't that just darling..." Nyra says to her husband with much pride for her adoptive child, "Would you like to dance?"

"I'm not in the mood, love." Kludd coldly replies, shaking it off with a wave of his wing

"Is something wrong?" She asks with much concern over how cold he is coming off this evening when it is supposed to be a party

"Nothing is wrong, I am fine." He replies harshly as he glares with daggers across the room, "I told you before we came, I'm fine and there's nothing to it."

Nyra takes her husband's wing, "I know something is wrong when I see it, Kludd. And I know when you are lying too; you cannot hide it from me. There is something you're not telling me and holding it back isn't going to help anyone."

"Fine, if you want to know the truth, Nyra, here it is then. You just single-handedly, without even properly, and I mean properly, consulting me, let some owl we haven't seen in the last ten years come back to the Pure Ones and just so suddenly let him into our Inner Circle." Kludd coldly snaps, making it brief and frank to the point, "And now you just decide to hold a party for this owl when I keep telling you that I don't trust him!"

"Alexander was our only informant who came through, Kludd." She retorts, giving her irritable husband the straight facts, "Ramaxon was some yellow-bellied coward who was blinded by his own hubris and Allomere was no better. Allomere ended up betraying us to the Guardians even when we could have given him what he wanted and spent years and countless amounts of our resources only trying to take the Ambalan throne and look where he ended up."

He looks at his wife directly, "Are you sure he's not some sort of double traitor? Like to the UKO or the OWER, Rosewood, the North, Kuneer... or Glaumora forbid the Guardians."

"That is unlikely Kludd. He would never side with any of them and he would definitely not want to side with the Guardians. Their King Boron is his son and-"She replies trying to make light of her point

"Wait, what?!" Kludd exclaims, interrupting his wife part through the sentence, "Their king is _his_ son?!"

His wife nods her head, "Yes, and he would never work with the Guardians no matter what happens. Even if his life depended on it he would still take death over working with them."

Kludd turns away for a moment, unsure about all of this... even when he has just heard the most... shocking news he could for the moment. Lord Alexander... a traitor no less a man who ended helping the Pure Ones downfall the Schana Monarchy in one night and massacre thousands on the side is the father of the leader, who would be glorious, saintly and self-righteous in his own right as the amount of good he does is sickening. Alex is the father of the leader of the most powerful army against them and their sworn enemies that have been against them since the start of the Everlasting War.

"You know, if you weren't being so cold toward him and shooting glares of daggers all the time... if you got to know him, you could learn more about him." Nyra states to her husband, "You know, you have a common ground and a generally common enemy... A member of your family who has wronged you in some way."

_"__Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer..."_ Kludd mutters to himself, before raising a glass of wine and starting to drink it

"You know, he could have a plan on his hands. He says that if you took out the Inner Circle of Ga'Hoole somehow... Say, perhaps, taking out the king for example, he says 'sever the head and they all will die'. This can be interpreted in any way you look at it, Kludd." She mentions, saying the least of what she can recall

The king chokes on his wine, coughing and spluttering, "What?"

Nyra then approaches him and pats him on the back like an owlet, "Well, you better friend him then, dear. Nothing else to it if you really do want to think of a new campaign against the Guardians."

The song ends and the owls bow and curtsey to their partners while the onlookers give generous applause. Elanore, looking a little less flustered than before, curtseys with grace to what is essentially her Northern General counterpart and Alexander returns the respect with a bow to the young woman. He takes her wing again as he then escorts her back to where her mother seats who all but has an impressed smile on her face for her adoptive daughter's efforts.

"I must say that you must have taught this young lady well, Nyra. She seems to have some of your grace and elegance so that must be a sign of good teaching then." Alexander says, once approaching the royal couple, "Make sure to keep practicing either way, lass. If I know Nyra, you will be having a debutante ball and you will have to be as elegant as you are a remarkable young woman."

"I guess it is a thank you, Lord Alexander." Elanore replies, feeling a little bashful still as she then goes to seat to the left of the king

"The pleasure is all mine, lass." The northern lord replies, with a nod

Kludd then clears his throat, both gathering himself after choking and both attracting attention, "If I may interject here, I would like to invite you for a meeting the next evening in the throne room, Alexander."

"Well, I don't see why I would decline an invitation, so I would like to attend then, my lord." Alexander nods, before looking over to Nyra, "What do you suppose your pureness? Would you care to dance?"

"I would love to." Nyra replies stepping down from the throne with a bit of a smile that she will be able to join in the festivities

Kludd watches as his wife and the owl among dispute within both his mind and between he and his wife, walk out onto the dance floor. He remains the least bit incentive as he looks on this type of interactions between them, as he has his suspicions amongst other things he has against Alexander, how close the two of them are and anything else he has the suspicion of. He watches on as she then is twirled around on her talons in a spin, the both of them sharing in a bit of a laugh with that one.

"Elanore did Nyra and Alexander ever have... you know... a thing?" Kludd awkwardly asks the general, knowing how close they are

"No." Elanore replies with a shake of her head, "Nyra had always been loyal and a devoted wife to Lord Metalbeak, even during that time of separation."

Down on the dance floor in the middle of the room, Nyra and Alexander in their friendly dance are gracefully waltzing around as they would if they were back in the Northern Kingdoms. The Queen, is enjoying herself, although she would usually only ever dance when she had to. Most of the time ended up sitting out with Kludd, who is not exactly one for, none of the less keen on the ballroom dancing thing.

"So, tell me how you did come to meet Kludd, Nyra." Alexander enquires, as they sway around the room

Nyra then thinks for a moment on how it all began, "Well... I first saw him when he ended up in St. Aegolius as one of the owlets our captures got... I did not think much of him really aside from that, he was definitely one to be a soldier. He ended up blowing me away in training... he seemed to have some strong potential in him, oh yes he did. He ended up being the one who caught the bluebird in the training exercise... you know the one with the bluebird."

"How could I forget when you caused so many collisions when you brought _that_ to the North?" Alexander quips, laughing at his own expense before clearing his throat, "Please, continue."

The queen then thinks to where she is up to, "Well... By the time Metalbeak died, he was one of the better of soldiers with potential to be a commander. The last I saw him was before he left and had the accident in combat with his brother. The first time I saw him after the battle was when we came back. He came to my chamber, carrying my husband's helm and he was worse for wear with burns and a broken wing..."

"Ouch..." The snowy owl mutters with a shake of his head, "Sorry, continue."

"Then he told me he liked me and... I guess I made him the king because he was the only one I could think of who could fit the job I would never be able to do and I... liked how brave he was. I tended to his wounds and whatnot before the coronation, which was more or less our first date, and... I guess things went from there." Nyra concludes with slight smile thinking back on their shaky first moments before becoming a couple, "And we were married November last year and his proposal... how could I forget it... And to say... this marriage is turning out better than my last, though..."

Alexander then pauses for a moment, "Though what?"

"In my marriage with Metalbeak, it was all great before it really went downhill for a few years before his death." She elaborates, reflecting and summarising it as briefly as it should be, "And sure, the first few months with Kludd were a little shaky, but we have pulled through even the worst of situations with injuries and whatnot and both of us nearly dying..."

"You both nearly died?!" He then interrupts, the very thought of it shocking to say the least as they come to another pause in the dance, "Are you serious?"

"Yes..." She replies, being at least honest about that one, "But we pulled through and we're still alive are we not."

Alexander then resumes the dance, "Yes, and that is good. But, I must ask something that is truly bothering me something awful... Nyra, are you a true Northerner?"

"What are you talking about?" Nyra replies, before being twirled around a bit, "That is a silly question, Alexander, of course I am. I may not seem like it, however, I retain my religious beliefs and have a rosary to prove it. I retain my aristocratic upbringing and reflect this in my title as 'Queen Nyra of Snowy Tyto'. I speak fluent Krakish, Naya'va, French and sure as hagsmire below, I speak English. What more could you want?"

"It's really nothing, really, but..." Alexander mumbles, before a slight pause, the queen giving him quite the look for him to get on with it, "Nyra, you have been married twice to two different owls now and... You have no children to the either of them, and Elanore does not count as she is not yours, no matter how much you say she is. You are twenty eight years old, Nyra, and by now you should have mothered a fair few children, since the age of marriage to now with a few years between it would at least be two, going on three, if you were an aristocrat back in the North as per tradition."

Nyra falls silent, unable to find any words to say in response to the statements he has just said to her, about something that has barely been in her control no less than it could have been in her first marriage, no less now early into her second when it is something that is being held off for now. As rash as it sounds, it raises a point, but at the same time deeply hurts her more than any insult can...

"Now I apologise, my queen, but... I couldn't help mention this as I thought by now that you would have well and truly have an heir to the throne from Kludd by now no less from your first husband even if you were both separated most of the time." Alexander then says

Nyra breaks away from the dance, blinking rapidly otherwise, "I'm sorry, but... excuse me for a minute."

The Queen then barges through the crowd in retreat in a rapid walk, some of them moving out of the way for her, but others just are not as lucky as she forces her way past, either bumping them out of the way or bowling them over without a word even to apologise. Nyra pushes open some of the doors on the starboard side of the ballroom and exits onto the balcony, the doors shutting behind her as she stands out there, her wing over her beak and rapidly blinking.

She gives way to tears that begin to stream down her face as she just cannot hold them back... making awful squeaks and snorts every time she tries to take a breath. The queen who would be the one to say 'You'd never see her cry', gives way to the invoked tears brought upon her by mentioning this... issue that she comes across as another touchy subject aside from mentioning Metalbeak around her. She leans over the railing, her face sinking into her wings as she cries as just the thought of what he said hurts her so...

_"__Hagsmire below... He's right..." _Nyra thinks to herself as she cries

* * *

The snow falls in flurries outside as Josh uneasily looks out the window... The Northern Winter is all but colder now that fear has risen amongst some, amongst even the bravest of some. On the desk rests a letter that had come by last morning, all the way from Ga'Hoole, from his mother. He has not dared to open it as he just can only ponder what she could write in reply about his father's current situation, or worse... if something had happened once he had heard the news. Gathering all of his courage he can, all of it he will need to no less open the letter than come to reading it, he dashes across the room from the window to pick up the letter and open it in a single breath...

_"__To Prince Josh of Ga'Hoole,_

_Dear my beloved Son, Josh,_

_I am glad that Sina liked her present, since I spent ages at least scribbling down a design I wanted for that pendant in between marking midterms and whatnot else I had to handle. Believe me, if you father found all those designs, he could swear I was procrastinating when I had things to mark, chaws to lead, lessons to plan and a kingdom to run alongside him. Even as the weather has gotten colder, it still seems as chaotic as it normally would around here._

_It is so good to hear that you are coming to visit, dear. I have been wondering as to when you'd next come down and after all that has been happening since Lydea's birthday... I think maybe you need a bit of a trip down here to get away from it all. I know, that Lydea must be feeling worse, but she can agree with me that when it comes to ruling a kingdom, her word is final and her people otherwise come first and foremost. It would be sad for her not joining you, however as long as she is okay I see nothing wrong with her staying behind to continue her work. –I'm excited for your visit, Josh, I'm preparing your room as soon as I finish the letter. I just simply cannot wait and... Yes, dear, I will be sober. For Glaux sake, Josh Nyctea, I am not an alcoholic as you so keep seeing me as at the moment._

_As for your father... Josh, It is good that you are concerned with him... Your father, he has not... He has not been coping well with the news and being handed down the titles your grandfather had when your father's family used to be one of the noble houses in the North. He had come home, when I began to write this letter... He had been drinking, and I think it would have been with Ezylryb... Ah, oh dear, I meant Prince Ezylryb. Titles nowadays, titles and changes to remember. Oh how it is dreadful... Anyway, he had come home a little drunk dear... And... I really do worry about him, your father, Josh... I just only hope that this will all blow over soon. That __**is**__ all I __**can**__ hope for, to be honest._

_Just... if you are coming down, do make sure that you do not get into a fight with your father somehow... He is not in the right mind frame now, no less coping so well, as I have said._

_With all my eternal love and all my hope for the best,_

_Queen Barran of Ga'Hoole_

_Love, mother."_

Josh places it down and just pauses for a moment, the least of it trying to let this whole situation sink in so he could at least think of something to say about it. He then looks to his wife, who is reading a book quietly over on the other side of the study. Most of the time after work seems to be dedicated to reading her books just to try to relax and unwind from the stress of her job. Most of it caused by some of the irritable members of the council, some of it caused by the almost endless amount of paperwork and the least of it worrying about family issues for the moment.

"Lydea, honey, what are the full implications of exile?" Josh asks, looking at the letter again for a re-read

"Well, once exile is decreed, the banished one shall be sent across the border of our kingdom never to return." Lydea elaborates, still reading herself on the other side of the room, "And if they shall cross the boarders back into our kingdom after their said exile has been enacted, If they are spotted by the Northern Guards, that is, they shall end up executed without trial, no exceptions."

"Jeez... you're pretty darn serious up here, huh." He replies, before closing the letter up again, "So what is with the thing with the titles, Lyd? What does it exactly mean?"

She places her bookmark in and closes the book, "Well, Boron is the one with the titles, dear. By what it means with 'handing down the titles' is that the titles that a member of the family has been granted are being handed down to the next in line to possess as sort of their own. So when your father, Boron, dies, you will be handed down these medals into your care, and so will our firstborn... Depending on if we want to give it to Sina or our firstborn male heir that is, and so on and so forth."

"And yet... Dad never mentioned to me growing up that I had a grandfather, no less a bastard like Alexander as one. I just wonder why he didn't mention it." Josh contemplates

"I haven't the slightest idea, Josh. By the sounds of it, there may be more dirty laundry that he doesn't want aired, especially if it has anything to do with Alexander." Lydea replies, taking her book and placing it away, "He may have only been trying protect you..."

"It doesn't matter, because I found out anyway." He states

Josh walks over to the window and Lydea then follows him over and places her wing on her husband's shoulder and her other wing is held against his chest with one of his wings. He has been particularly affected by this whole thing a great deal, especially since prior to now... he thought he did not have a grandfather because his parents never spoke of him. And what he had been told, and what he had been shown... Only justifies why his father never wanted to speak of it, even if he wanted to protect him from the truth of the stained honour of the noble house.

"Alexander was wrong... It was not my father who had brought shame to the former House Nyctea of the Northern Tundra. It was _him_!"

* * *

In the royal chamber, Nyra in a continued fit of tears throws aside her silver, decorated with teal and blue stone, headpiece across the room, which crashes into her dressing table knocking it around on its stand. She then rips the necklace off her neck and throws it down on the floor. She has been crying like this for the last hour and a half, at least ten minutes before she retreated here to be alone. She just wants to be alone, alone in her thoughts and that is all she'll ever be if Kludd shall ever leave or perish, alone. She was alone by the time she had grown up, alone by the time Metalbeak died and will be alone if Kludd fumbles and falls from his already shaky grace and ends up as the same as her last husband, and her daughter could not be spared in any way from the Guardians if they decided upon their Inner Circle.

In truth, Alexander was right and no matter how much she could deny it and how much she could claim her Elanore as her own, he is right. Only a reminder that she has no children and all she can think there is little to no hope that she will ever mother an heir to the throne... especially if dear Kludd will be deciding on another campaign against the Guardians. She had learnt for the least from the amount of times Kludd had been injured and even from her own short death that their lives are all but fragile as the glass-pained doors Kludd broke that night months ago. And to leave without an accomplishment that would mean the start of a dynasty... Alexander only reminded her of the one thing she would want as much in the whole of the Owl Kingdoms as taking them over.

Nyra throws aside her cape before falling to otherwise land in bed where she continues this crying fit. The last time she cried this hard, it was when she was lost, was in the middle of grief, and pain which was far worse than death was that of feeling like there was no hope of their empire rebuilding after Metalbeak's death and she was afraid. The first time she had been afraid in a long time then as everything came crashing down and she could do nothing to stop it. All of these feelings relevant as she would have no idea what to do if Kludd shall die... And without any heir to inherit the glory of being the son or daughter of a strong and resilient king who all but carries the legacy of their last.

The chamber doors open and Kludd enters in a bit of a happy mood and somewhat in laughter before... immediately it all goes silent, his happiness fading once he hears Nyra's soft whimpers from across the room. He follows the trail of thrown around and unnecessary destruction, particularly the mess of her ball garments across the floor, before he comes across the curtains pulled and the figure of his wife on the other side. Kludd pulls back the curtain to see his wife bundled in blankets, her eyes red from crying...

"Nyra... What's wrong?" Kludd asks, somewhat surprised to see his wife, who was enjoying herself and was all but have a carefree smile on her face, now crying her eyes out, "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Just... Leave me be, Kludd..." Nyra answers, immediately getting up and moving away, taking the blankets with her, retreating to push open the balcony doors

Ignoring her, Kludd chases after his wife and pulls Nyra close to his chest as they now stand outside in the cold and snow that comes down from the sky. Her soft whimpers begin to turn to loud sobs, which he tries to lull by hushing her softly and petting her on her back. She seemed so happy earlier on, dancing around and having the least bit of fun, and he can all wonder what has made her this upset, as any concerned husband would when their wife suddenly goes AWOL right in the middle of the party without them noticing later to be found crying in their chamber.

"What's wrong?" He asks again, angling her head to look at him, "Nyra, look at me, I just want to know how I can help and whatever the hagsmire has gotten you all worked up like this."

"Kludd... Am I a true Northerner?" She responds, slightly parting away to give the both of them a little distance, "I'm serious, am I, because..."

"Whatever do you mean?" He enquires

"Alexander and I were talking and asked me, while we were on the floor if I was a true Northerner... And I... He asked me if I was true to my heritage or not and..." Nyra utters, before taking a deep breath, before more tears threaten fall, "Usually I wouldn't be bothered by anything but what he said just hit me close to home and... I do not understand why he would question me like this. I am still holding titles and honours of the North through my family name from the former House Purudyn, I... I-I speak the languages that they taught me and I retain the faith as much as I can and will..."

"Bastard..." Kludd spits with venom in his voice, outraged for the audacity that the snowy owl has in questioning her so, "I am going to beat the sprink out of him for speaking of such nonsense."

"Kludd, don't!" Nyra cries in a haphazard appeal, clinging to him as he tries to leave, "It's not necessary... As much as he had been so... blunt, he was right. I have not given an heir to either of my marriages, and I can only blame myself... Even if Metalbeak and I were often apart in our rule of the North, it still does not cover why and now when I look at so far us being together, Kludd... If I was still in the Northern Aristocracy I would have had have an average of three by now born between both my and the father's noble houses depending on gender and birth rank."

"He questioned your traditions because you are not yet a mother and blames you because of it?!" He claims with outrage over the allegations that the owl has made against his mate, "If I had half a mind to it, I should have ended his existence before he returned here. Nyra, he cannot get away with saying such things and blaming you when you have done nothing to deserve this harsh judgement."

"And you are not killing him, Kludd!" She responds, in as stern a voice as she can muster to try and match his

"Nyra, I may know as little as I do about honour and titles, but I know when someone besmirches it by saying such racdrop excuses of words like he has said to you. And you are my wife, my queen, and if someone mocks you, they are mocking me and mocking their king at the same time." Kludd replies seriously, taking as if it is high treason to say such things against the queen, "You must be tired, Nyra, as I think you've stayed up longer than I have the last few nights. You must not be thinking straight as forget what he said, you are not to blame for anything he accuses you of. Just... Don't worry your head off about a technicality, love. He can take his traditionalism and shove it for all I care."

Nyra shakes her head, turning away to lean over the railing, "I don't think you understand how I see it, Kludd... It is not really about tradition here, it is that... He reminded me that even if I break customs and have become this second-generation Northern Aristocrat-cross-Pure One adding my other standing Nyrolian and being a goddess' descendant to the mix, I still have to have some sort of grasp as to-"

"I see things how I see things, Nyra..." He interjects, coming beside her, and wrapping his wing around her, "Don't worry over it, too much, okay. You are you and no one can tell you otherwise, okay. Haters are gunna hate, you know that all too well, and holding off having kids... Hell, you should be happy about that since you've accomplished so much more without having to be held down by a kid and I know from growing up as the oldest of three how much of a hassle hatchlings and owlets can be."

The queen remains silent for a moment before looking to the snow that keeps falling from the skies above them, "It's cold…"

"Well, come back inside then." Kludd says, leading her back inside to their chamber, "You must have been in the South too long if you think it's cold…"

* * *

The cold, frosty winds blow through the Great Tree on this now late winter morning, as it seems that the snowfall has yet been continuing again, even when no one is awake to either admire it or pass their spiteful judgement over the cold. It is peaceful this time of morning, always is when the sunlight graces this part of the world, makes it all the better to hear your thoughts… and for the patrols and the guards who brave the cold on the day watch have it easy to guard the area if they can hear better in the silence of the day. –All the better to patrol the boards and the Great Tree with in this time of heightened Pure One activity.

Boron tosses and turns in sleep… Even when in the peace of his own unconsciousness, it is all but in the conflict that has been wounding at him all week as if it were a million little cuts keep being made across his body. While his wife, the one who has her fair share of daymares –the causes of her daymares are consistently unknown to the least of matters- sleeps soundly, it all but seems that it is his darkest fears cannot be contained in this realm outside of the reality of life…

* * *

Boron stands, in the middle of darkness, all but nothing around him aside from gloomy mists. Suddenly there is a breaking noise and Boron sharply turns around to look for the origin, seeing nothing or any sign of it at all. The sound of the laughter of an owlet echoes around the space around the snowy owl… Before suddenly a figure rushes through the mists distorting them as they pass…

"Is someone there…"

_"__Father, what are those medals for…?"_

Boron stands frozen upon hearing that voice, a little boy's voice, but it isn't the young voice, the one matching the laughter that rung through the space before that disturbs him to the point of stillness. It is that… it is _his_ voice… The memory of that question he asked nearly thirty-one years ago when he was all but a young boy of around six years old. He takes a step before stepping on something, picking it up as it comes to be one of his father's medals… or should he say one of the "family's" medals.

_"__You see, Boron, every medal here represents an honour that has been bestowed upon the family name… and these ones, unlike the ones of your grandparents, great-grandparents and so forth back to the ancient times of the Schana Dynasty. Well my boy, these are all but representing what greatness and honour you will inherit someday once you became head of the family."_

_"__But what if I don't want-"_

_"__Nonsense boy… This is all you shall ever want and ever desire… And you were born heir to this noble house, so you will inherit it…"_

_"__But-"_

_"…__Without any exceptions otherwise."_

Boron's heart sinks from hearing that convocation once again… He was told, from so from a young age, that he would have become the next head of their noble household and nothing else but that. The medal suddenly shines brightly, Boron dropping it and recoiling away with pain from the sudden flash of light in his eyes. Shielding them as the brightness starts to engulf him within it before it becomes less of a light but more… Snow.

When the light stops, the snowy owl finally uncovers his eyes to see the snow falling from the sky before seeing his surroundings. It has all dramatically changed into a tundra forest shrouded in the hazy mists that it always would be and almost everywhere covered in snow and the dead, or the pine trees for this case, towering above of him as he continues to look up at the snowfall. Reminiscent of where he had grown up, where he had called home. Within where the high of class would play and have almost all the power in the world they could get with connections, army ties and the wealth of their status on them.

_"__Boron, this is not up for debate… You are the next head of this family and the heir and you will do as you are told and that is final. I have spent years and countless amounts of my time preparing you for taking the mantle after me, preparing you to become a well-adjusted household head… and to marry a girl of high standing…"_

The winds suddenly pick up, snow sent flying toward him in which he uses his wings to block, and the strong burst of speed of the forceful winds against him makes his balance become unstable…

_"__And to everything you have betrayed me!"_

Boron loses his footing, and in a sudden moment, he slips and instead of falling on his face, he all but carried away by the sheer force of the winds that had been blowing against him. He is carried away with such velocity that he flying past all of the trees with every direction he looks, while he is spent spiralling out of control and is turned in every direction by the wind until… SMACK! He hits one of the trees hard; invoking what would be almost real pain from the collision. Stuck with his surreal pain, he grits his beak to try to deal with it as he limply slides down the tree before dropping belly down on the ground.

As Boron begins to gather himself, pulling himself off the ground with as much strength as he can muster… He looks to the mists in front of him and a black silhouette of a figure stands within it, with dark red eyes… the sort of eyes that the Pure Ones get when they get pissed… Moreover, it slowly approaches him… battle claws making the clicking and rustling sound as they do when they walk… All of this echoing around the snowy owl as he all but stands there trying to gather himself as much as he can…

_"__I could have given you everything… Everything more than our forefathers and all else could have dreamed of having and you betray me, run away like the coward you are…"_

Boron takes a few steps back, wincing with pain from every movement he makes, "I am not a coward… I never wanted anything to do with what you would have made me become… And nor do I want ANYTHING to do with you now! Leave me alone… Leave me ALONE!"

_"__No matter what you do… No matter where you go… No matter who you have become now… I will ALWAYS be a part of you, Boron."_

"No…" Boron utters with shock and fear as he backs away, "You… Stay away… I am never going to be you, father!"

_"__Yes… You… WILL!"_

The dark figure launches himself at Boron, taking him and pinning him against the tree behind him, his claws around his neck tightly as the victim only struggles and desperately gasps for air as he stares at his father. This demonic version of his father who dons a torn red sash with bloodied Pure One medals which are identical to the blood platters against his body and his eyes… Blood red with demonic anger as the world around him becomes blurry. Before suddenly with a sharp snapping noise… It all goes black…

* * *

Boron frantically wakes with a loud, disturbed shout as he is all but snapping awake, gasping for air in both the shock from his dream. His heart is nearly racing to that of having convulsions… Hearing a loud ringing noise and his own heartbeat above the voice of his wife... and he cannot even hear her as he looks around the room before his head is turned back to look at the queen.

"Boron? Boron, dear, are you okay…" Barran asks with much concern, as he husband suddenly jolted awake and… he sits there, looking distressed to say the least, "Boron? Answer me, please."

Boron shakes his head, "I'm fine…"

"Are you sure? You look like you've almost had a heart attack." His wife asks with much concern, rubbing his back with her wing, "Answer me truthfully…"

"Barran I am fine, there is nothing to it…" He interrupts, before plonking back down, "Just… Go back to sleep."

She makes him face her again, "I know you've had a hard time dealing with what's going on relating to your father and the titles that you have been handed down and otherwise but…"

"I said…! Barran just… Just go back to sleep, Barran…" Boron sternly replies, affirming his stance on the discussion

"Oh… Okay…" Barran awkwardly replies, setting back down to go back to sleep, "Good light… then."

As Barran closes her eyes and is going back to sleep, Boron is all but unable to fall so as easy back to sleep as his wife, troubled to what this daymare could mean.. Shaken by the very things he had seen, he had heard and he had encountered in the peril of his plagued mind. All but awakening him to the subconscious fears, to the subconscious truths that he has been hiding, no less suppressing for nearly the last two decades now. He knew it would come back someday for him, the subconscious shame he has for the once father he knew… And that father he knew once was an honourable, yet petty sometimes, owl who was worthy of the medals, he was given, but… He only but bears the shame of the aftermath of his decision that lead to his father becoming who he is. The shame of the Traitor of the North he had so desperately tried to spare from his son… but it looks like he knows about it now.

It may be a long time before he sleeps again…


	4. Chapter 4: Of Conflict and an Empire

Chapter 4: Of Conflict and an Enduring Empire

When your son, your oldest and only son, leaves the nest, partially in this case living a whole kingdom away and to hear from them that they are coming home, even for a little while, and brining your firstborn and only grandchild with them... It is enough so that Queen Barran is all but excited for when her baby boy, Josh, comes home. –Even in this time of unsettlement, about her father-in-law released on exile and her husband not taking the news so well, especially after the daymare last evening and the drinking the previous of nights ago since the news came to them.

Putting her worries aside for just a moment, her main task for the moment comes up tiding the Palace Hollows up a bit. For as much as she could ask someone else to do it, since currently they're coming up short a few rybs due to illness and one of their own on maternity leave, she's one to want to do things herself. It has been that way since she was a little girl born as a young heiress and noble to the former Lynai aristocratic house in the former Northern Aristocracy. She was raised one to be a strong, resilient, self-reliant young woman by her aunt, who was one who was much against tradition as much as she followed it and by her beloved godfather, who taught her almost everything she knows. –That means occasionally that the least she can do sometimes is do the cleaning up around the place.

She is doing some of the dusting in the study, where they have barely had time to clean up until now, when one of the ladies in waiting comes in with a bouquet of flowers. Even when the winter has hit the owl kingdoms, the least she could have in the palace to lighten the gloom brung by cold and grey-skied nights and days, is a little colour. She places the flowers in a vase on one of the pedestals on the side of the room and arranges them until she sees fit they are perfect. She then goes back to sorting the books and placing them back onto the shelves when the door opens and Boron enters the room. Since by the time she gotten up, he had actually managed to fall back asleep, and she decided to make sure no one disturbed him by leaving as quietly as she can and alerting the staff so.

"Did sleeping in help?" Barran asks, placing some books on the shelf in front of her

"I just can't keep my mind off of all the possibilities and... just from the matter itself." Boron replies with a shake of his head, "What are you doing?"

"Just prepping, cleaning and otherwise making the palace presentable, dear. Josh will be here any hour now and sure as all Glaumora above I am going to have this whole palace sparking... and otherwise owlet safe before he and Sina get here." She replies finally finishing her work in the study, and walks past her husband, "Done, now onto the room itself."

"Don't you think you're going a little... over the top for when Josh visits?" Boron asks as he follows his wife down the hall, "I'm sure he's not going to mind if a few things are out of their place. He lives with a two year old, a daughter no less, and the thing with owlets, if you can remember to when Josh was little is that they are always into the toys and making a mess. Not to mention into everything they can get their little claws on and anything they can get their little beaks around, which sometimes isn't food."

Barran pushes open the door to their son's room, before turning back, "Our son lives a kingdom away now... All I can hope for is the occasional visit, as Ga'Hoole is a part of his life, and so will it be for our granddaughter when she gets a little older. All I can ever want is to teach our grandchildren, especially Sina, everything about our side of the family and the Ga'Hoolian culture she so inherits. Is that so much to ask?"

"I have to ask; are you drunk already? All of this happiness and giggles when it is early simply cannot be really from sheer will." Boron asks, already feeling the urge to facewing

"What?! For Glaumora sake, no." his wife replies in offence, "I am just excited, and I gave Josh my word that I would refrain from the wine, and you to not work so much, while he visits so we can spend time with Sina. If anything, I am excited and that is what is keeping me going. Now where did we put the dolls and the toys after last time she came?"

"How am I supposed to know where you store things in this place? I can find where you stash things easily, but storage items... I'm not like 'Super King' here." He replies, being the least of brutally honest on that one

"Oh, too late, found it anyway."

The king all but looks over to see his wife dragging out a chest from the closet on the other side of the room that has been decorated with all but pink and ribbons and other girlish things. For the least to emphasise that is their granddaughter's toy chest of the toys that are both were her toys from when she was growing up as well as the random items of nonsense that they have bought over the last two years and so for their -already possibly spoiled as it is for an owlet and their only- granddaughter.

Boron places his wing to his forehead, rubbing hit frantically to say the least of all the stress that is coming up by now, "Why is Josh coming down anyway, Barran... I know it is not just for Sina to visit us. Oh Glaux, he is going to have so many questions as to why I never told him about his disgrace of a grandfather and... I simply do not know what to tell him if he asks, Barran. And Glaux help me to even know what to say..."

"I'm sure he knows that you were only trying to protect him like any father would to his owlet." Barran replies as she approaches her distressed husband, knowing all about what it feels like when you have to hide something away from their loved ones, and how much it hurts her to lie countless times about it, "And sometimes the truth comes out. Josh will understand why you hid the truth away from him, Boron. I know he will, as he is _your_ son."

"And what will I say if he asks, Barran? My father is a traitor, a stain on our family's name... He is a murderer, a monster... How do I tell our son, Barran?" The uneasy king ponders aloud, his every expression nearing that of panic-related hysteria as he begins to hyperventilate, "How do I tell him about the man who killed his wife's parents? How do I tell him about a man who even killed my mother, your parents, your uncle, your aunt, almost everyone highborn and in his way of power, Barran?! You tell me!"

"Honey, calm down..." His queen replies, frantically worried while trying to remain calm and soothing to console. She has never seen her husband ever get this worked up on anything before, "Just breathe... We will find a way, we will. Just don't you get yourself worked up over this... Not after the daymare last night which nearly enough could have given you a heart attack."

"And if our people knew... What would they think, Barran? That their king is the son of a traitorous murderer and has all but hidden this lie out of the shame that it brings. I have tried to make a name for myself, redeem our family name through whom I am now, but it keeps coming back..." Boron continues, beginning to pace around the room frantically

Barran clings to her husband, stopping him in his tracks, "Calm down... My dear, I hate to say it, but... I worry that this may actually be a mid-life crisis in the works. All of the stress lately from the crown work, with everything about your father and that nightmare..."

"It's nothing beside that... No matter how much I have made an identity of myself these last twenty years since we left... He will always be a part of me somehow, and I... I wish I could get rid of it, sure as hagsmire I do..." He sighs, his head bowing in sadness

There is a knock at the door and Barran all but pats him on the cheek as she then parts from his side. He just stands there, silent for the least as he tries to gather himself, especially as that may be the call. It may be the call that their son and granddaughter are here and have arrived. All but to save face, conceal the worries that all but ravage his heart and head, and not feel the worries they bring. With a look from his wife, her worried glance turning to a warm, maternally affectionate smile, it means that they are here.

Without a moment to lose, the snowy owl queen drags her mate through the Palace Hollows with much urgency and exhilaration. She runs out into the courtyard platform outside as there is a group waiting for them with armed Northern Royal Guards standing at landing. She lets go of Boron, after almost dislocating his wing, as she approaches their son Josh, suddenly crashing into him before he could have time to react to her sudden hug and giving a moment to let the shock wear off, he hugs his mother back.

"Oh Josh... It has been as if it had been forever since I've seen you." Barran chuckles with happiness as she is sooner almost forced off the son, "Every time I see you, you just seem to get more grown up with every passing month."

"It's good to see you too, mum." Josh replies, pretty much pushing away as he then goes to a small carry bassinette, "Sina's still asleep from the trip, sweet little angel was so excited before we left."

"Well, I'll take her inside out of this ghastly cold... This girl will get sick if you're not careful." His mother scolds, taking up her grandchild

"She's wrapped in enough blankets to cover the floor of the Great Hall, I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a Northerner like her mother. She's a born and bred Schana descendant through and through." The son defensively replies, as his parenting has come under fire

The proud grandmother ends up taking her young grandchild inside, following some of the Guards who are handling the small amounts of luggage that they have brung with them. All but leaving the father alone with his son, the one owl he has dreaded seeing since this news has come out from the north. Josh slowly approaches his father, he knowing from what his mother had written to him about his father is that he is in a bit of a rough place right now.

"Hey... Dad. How... How is it going?" Josh replies, feeling awkward through caring and sincere, "Are you okay?"

"As good as I can be, Josh. The Great Tree is well. The Guardian Training Academy is running smoothly as it can be even in this busy time. Our work in the UKO with the work we are doing on alliance stuff and whatnot is going smoothly... Everything is fine." Boron replies with a forced smile, trying to avoid the inevitable topic

"I'm serious, dad, I wanna know if you're okay. I... know about it now." Josh says with a cautious and consoling nature about him

Boron suddenly pulls Josh in a hug, something that his father usually never does, especially now that they are both grown men. It seems awkward, but Josh just hugs his father back. He has heard how it all has come crashing down on top of him like towers of a palace coming down from the skies above, crushing him with the aftermath.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Josh..." Boron says to his son, hugging him just for the sake of his son for the worst of his fears he had for this confrontation not going as well as it is now, "I was only trying to protect you... And all I could ever hope to do is to protect you, and protect this family... But it has all but come apart now that the truth has come back to haunt me."

_"__I'm sorry..."_

* * *

Evening in the St. Aegolius base and it all but seems to be another busy winter's morning for the Pure Ones. It all but seems to be a chore when it comes to their impending duties as the fun is over, and it is back to business. While few of the commanders, soldiers and other assorted members of their tytonic empiric faction support the dreaded hangover, the rest are endeavouring in their duties while reminiscing of the fun they had for a morning away from duties. And it is a good idea to have this little get together as everyone seems to have needed something to break through the stress of the moment, as even those in the mundane task of cleaning the ballroom after the celebration seem to be in a cheery mood as they do away with the rubbish and whatnot.

Kludd is in his chamber as he has straightened himself up for the day, otherwise making sure that he looks somewhat neat and presentable though the one thing about him that will never be that of neat is the forever-burnt side of his face and the scars that have remained. However, it is fixed easily with the donning of his kingly, titular helm. It may not mean much since this is his third helm now he wears since losing one and breaking the other, still embodies that he is the legacy of Metalbeak and will do so by carrying the title as Lord High Tyto of the Pure Ones. In the light of the moon and the dim lighting of the candles in the chamber, the recently polished helm gives off a bit of a shine as he finishes his routine by placing a dagger by his side. –It all but seems to be necessary to have one by your side nowadays...

Nyra remains asleep as Kludd approaches her, since they had both a late morning last morning–a distressing one at that for the queen herself who had an inner conflict- he had decided to leave her be to asleep for now. She needs it no less and after that convocation, the one they had previous morning had left her in much distress beyond that he has never seen her in... All because of the conflicting morals that Alexander has and the crude judgement he has made about her status as being a twenty-eight year old queen without a child to either marriages and having to foster one in the place of it, and claiming that she isn't following their complicated tradition... If it weren't for what she said, he would have killed that bastard for the blasphemy he had said against his queen, but for as much as he will be giving Alexander a chance this meeting this evening, if he does something else wrong, he will not hesitate killing him, no matter what Nyra says.

Kludd fixes up her blankets and kisses her on her head, "I love you... Sleep tight, my darling."

The king then steps away from her and then starts on his journey to the throne room. As the doors to his chamber are opened, he looks back on his snow coloured queen and mate with as much a worried glance as if one of love and adoration. Nyra is his wife and the only ever woman to believe in him and she was his teacher and mentor... And seeing her upset is something that all but toys with his heart, as the image of her death still remains in his mind to this night from months ago... He all but wants what is right for her and sure as all hagsmire to protect her from anything that could _really_ take her away, as she may never be able to get a second, second chance at best from that Goddess.

"Make sure that no one disturbs the queen." Kludd says to the guards at the door, who both comply with a nod of their head

Kludd then takes off down the halls with the inevitable escort following him everywhere he goes. It seems like too much, but when you are among the top of the list of people that the Guardians, the UKO and no less Rosewood would gladly send a hit after any day of the week, it seems necessary. As Kludd passes his loyal soldiers, the nobles or just some of Nyra's ladies in waiting who are on their way past with the washing or just the breakfast, they all bow respectively... Something that is actually is a little humbling when your loyalists all bow (and when they chant your name in those ceremonies).

Kludd then eyes his wife's foster daughter himself down the corridor, the young general Lady Elanore, looking as cheerful as a girl her age could be for this time of the evening as she finishes speaking with one of the other commanders, in which she gets a respectful bow of the head from. Aside from being their general and the third in command of the whole of the Pure Ones, she all but has an almost princess sort of honorific set when it comes to bows and greetings and titles... even when she isn't officially Nyra's daughter.

"Elanore, it is good to see you." Kludd says in a cheerful greeting as he approaches her, "I see you're quite cheerful this evening after the late morning yesterday."

"Well, I try to find something positive every time I have an early wakeup call most evenings..." Elanore says with a slight yawn and a stretch at the end of the sentence, "So, what's the word for today?"

"Well... I need you to take Nyra's duties for today, if you can. Your mother needs a little bit of rest time today, if you know what I mean." He mentions, saying the least of what he can to the young woman who stands before him, "If you could, it would be doing her a favour."

"Sure, anything for Nyra." She replies, with a can-do attitude that would be admirable of one who was in the command, "So, I should take a couple trainings, check up on the work in the clean-up and just do anything I can in between. Right... Oh, and Alexander will be there for your meeting soon, that's what I had heard from the captain I was speaking to."

"Okay, thank you, Elanore." Kludd says before beginning to head off on his route, "See you later then."

The king then continues on his path down to the illustrious throne room of the Pure Ones. The doors being opened for him as he enters then closed behind him as he enters. He remembers a time where this room was that of where Metalbeak had held his grand speech and when he had met the otherwise tytonic emperor himself. Now that he is king, it had changed a fair bit over the last year and a half that the regime change had also affected not just who is ruling the Tytonic Union and his commanding army and their army from the regimes led against the Guardians. There have been a few... decorative uplifts done in here over the last year and a half no less.

Kludd is on his way to his throne before he pauses suddenly when he walks past some ornate swords that hang on the wall as an ornamental piece. Kludd, being one who is a sucker for a good weapon, no less a good sword, decides to pick one of them up and investigate it fervour. Admiring the craftsmanship of the silver and steel sword from its handle. Giving it a good swing and parry as he tries it out before looking to the inscriptions on the blade written in all but ancient language of Tyto Forest, "_Aria Tyto et valica."_ (**Do not ask me... it is mostly little random gibberish...**) Known as alternatively, in modern tongue of Hoolian, or referred to by some French and Naya'va speakers as English, "Onward to Tyto glory."

"Sir, Lord Alexander is here to see you." A servant says

Kludd looks up for a moment, slightly embarrassed for not realising that the servant is there, "Oh, yeah... That is this evening... Send the sorry bastard in, I can't keep him waiting."

The High Tyto all but goes back to admiring the blade he holds as Alexander is sent in. The snowy is wearing his usual attire of a, not torn to pieces sash, with his few Pure One medals on it (**Since he ended up having the others taken... well more like ripped off him...**). Looking as haughty as a traitorous, Tyto-hailing, lower species owl, walking in with a simple stride before coming to a respectful bow.

"Are you a swords owl, Alexander?" Kludd asks, the first words to break the silence, still gazing at the sword and not bothering to make eye contact

"Well, I have not held a weapon since my arrest a decade ago, no less after my recent exile." Alexander replies, giving the least of honesty with that answer

Kludd then swings the sword again in a back claw swoop, the snowy owl shifting backward on his talons as if he was a cowering owlet and the king all but has his cocky, amused smirk on his face as he then takes the sword back to its place, "So tell me, Alexander Nyctea... Who really are your enemies aside from that boy of yours? Boron I believe his name is that one, and he is married to a woman named Barran who can have a fierce temper when it comes down to it. And I know that they have some poor bastard as a son named Josh, who is married to the Schana Queen as a sort of Prince Consort and the both of them have a brat of their own, a girl no less a granddaughter to your fool of a son, Boron."

"For a fact, lad... There actually isn't many left since, well, you can guess how I got rid of the most of them." the traitorous snowy owl replies, with laugh to his own joke, at his own expense

"I must wonder... How in the name of Mordecai Shan does an owl like you, a member of the lower species, end up working within our ranks and otherwise was an advisor no less commander for the late Lord Metalbeak?" Kludd suddenly asks, taking the snowy owl by much surprise for the suddenly of that question coming up, "Now, I mayn't know much about what is right or wrong, but frankly, you are not a Tyto owl and... Well, you're _somehow_ a legend in the eyes of most of my command, including my wife and her foster daughter. The very notion I find questionable."

Alexander then clears his throat, "Well, when it comes down to it, milord, I may not believe much in your Tyto supremacy and whatnot, given that I am not even a Tyto owl to begin with, but I do believe that one of these sides will win the Everlasting War at some stage. And I thought to myself to choose the winning team I could so easily aid, and through my double-agent work, we had taken the North and ruled it for nearly two glorious decades."

"Before it all came crashing down because you failed to properly eradicate the Schana bloodline and one of them escaped and was a political refugee in Ga'Hoole." The barn owl sovereign bluntly retorts with a bemused look upon his face when it comes down to the truth of the matter, "Now, tell me or tell me not that you have told my mate about some sort of...plot, if we shall even call it that, that you have regarding about Ga'Hoole. Is this or is this not true?"

"I should say so, since we do have at least something in common when it comes to the enemy." The snowy owl replies with a simple nod of his head, "Boron had run away from home those years ago, causing those good-for-nothing spoiled bastards to shun me. They had pointed their talons and laughed behind my back... And about you, dear boy, your brother was the golden child growing up and you were all but constantly in his shadow and just... shunned."

Kludd slightly twinges from the mention about the way things had been growing up, taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling to compose himself, "Is your hatred... your vengeful and spiteful hatred for that bastard son of yours like my hatred for that damn piece of racdrops brother of mine?"

"Almost alike if it could have been possible to hate the same person, milord Kludd." Alexander replies with a nod of his head

"Well then... It looks like we have much to discuss then, Alexander." Kludd replies with a nod of his head, "And maybe I'll let go what you had done to my wife if you can think of a plan that could be good enough."

* * *

Over in the Great Tree, as the night's events has the tree all but resume again under the bright moon above, the usual hustle and bustle of daily life is abundant from the might Guardian on their chaw duties. The ambitious students who are a study to become Guardians one day, the common-folk who so live in the Great Tree on the own free will about on their errands, down to the owlets who are either old enough to be learning about the Great Tree's society and culture or those who are too little to attend. –All of them contributing somehow to show how much the Great Tree's society is abundant and thriving.

On his current duties as a junior parliamentarian, Soren and his friend are among the attendees of a regular session of Guardian Parliament. As per that it is winter, it seems that their attendance is more regular in Parliament as some rybs have fallen ill and one of the commanding rybs is actually close to mothering an egg any night now, however she is in attendance as she seems a little reluctant to withdraw herself from parliament matters. However, even if they have to be filling in, they are gaining much experience as Boron, the king and otherwise final voice that approved of The Band becoming full-fledged guardians a year and a half ago, does see the these young adults as having much potential. They say that for the courage and valour that they have displayed this past year and a half, these young voices having potential for maybe even becoming rybs or no less the members of the Parliament of the future generation. Especially for the time when Prince Josh will ascend the throne, after his father will abdicate or Glaumora forbid pass on. –So that means for now that they may be attending a lot of these over a long while in preparation.

"...And to the motion, all members and junior parliamentarians who approve of the new changes to the Search and Rescue training drills say "I"." Boron says, in the midst of bringing something important to the decision

Most of the parliamentarians vote in favour of the decision and barely anyone opposes when Boron then asks who actually doesn't approve of this decision. He then bangs the gavel, but as soon as he does, the doors to the parliament chamber forced open as a young snowy owlet runs through the doors in fits of giggles and laughs.

"Hey, you come here." Boron says, suddenly breaking away from what he was about to do to hop down and scoop up the owlet in a hug, "Now how did you get here, eh? Just as cheeky as your father was when he was your age."

"Cheeky little devil aren't you?" Barran says as she then joins her husband, petting the little one on the head, much to the confusion to some of the parliament, "Well, you should know our granddaughter, Princess Sina of North, yes?"

"Sina, come back here! Oh jeez... Hope I am not interrupting anything here, if I am, I am sorry. Well, you know how owlets are, so..."

On this cue, everyone then turns their attention to the door where the said prince and heir to the Ga'Hoole throne, the father of this young lady is leaning against the door with much exhaustion, finally being able to catch up.

"Josh!" Members of the assembly exclaim with much happiness in their voices.

Soren and his friends can only give each other somewhat confused, somewhat worried glances as the senior more members of the parliament and of the Great Tree's command begin to approach the sudden visitor. It seems a little strange for a change in behaviour, no less a sudden break from the usual serious nature of getting through parliamentary business when about only a few moments ago they had an infantile intruder. But then again, for when it is the Prince and otherwise son of their king who is a legend in his own right, then it can be justified as to why they would break the seriousness to greet this infrequent visitor. Josh hugs godmother and aunt, Strix Struma as she demand so as a greeting, he all but gives a few nods and greetings to other rybs such as Dewlap, Bubo, Madame Plonk and out of almost nowhere...

"My it has been a long time now has it, come here. Give your Aunty Autumn a cuddle, Josh, dear." Autumn cheerfully says as she awkwardly and haphazardly gives an owl at least twice her size a hug, the snowy owl trying to be careful with the little lady given the nature of her size and otherwise, "Still almost a dead ringer for your father."

"I guess..." Josh says with a slightly embarrassed smile, "But you know we're different right?"

"Of course, but you're still almost like him there, lad." Ezylryb says as he greets his counterpart, given that he is now a prince like the lad, but then again he was only given the title a few months ago, "How are things up in the North, Josh? It seems a little like forever since you've been here; maybe it's a sign that you should be here more."

"Yeah, I try and I guess things are well and running as smooth as a frozen lake. See, so used to the North if I'm using their analogies, maybe you're right then." The snowy owl prince replies, being the least bit amusing to say the least, "So, dad, who are the newbies in the parliament who are just looking down on me like stunned mullets?"

"Josh, I'm sure you've heard much about The Band, so they are here as some of our junior parliamentarians." Boron explains, looking to least give an instruction aside from explanation, as he places down his granddaughter, "Josh, from my far right, Soren, Digger, Gylfie and Twilight. And Band, this is my son, which I'm sure you've heard of already, Prince Josh."

"Never thought I'd see the night I'd get to meet the legendary Band." Josh says, approaching them to at least be friendly, "Needless to say, you lot are pretty brilliant for how fearlessly you have upheld the oath you all swore upon initiation. You guys are like heroes, practically heroes."

"Hey, never thought we'd manage to be introduced to you, so I guess we're even then." Twilight replies with a nod

"Yeah, you're so awesome, man... er-sir... I mean... Ah-." Digger says, awkwardly fumbling over his words

"What my boyfriend means to say, your highness, is that you're quite the legend around the tree for maybe a little more than we've done in a year and a half no less your whole lifetime." Gylfie cleverly elaborates, rescuing her boyfriend from his fumble of words

"Well, not to sound arrogant or anything, but I guess that I've had my fair share of adventures. However, you four have a lot more field experience than I've had when it was only one mission." Josh answers

"So why are you here, lad?" Ezylryb asks, while giving the young snowy princess a pat on the head, "And it is good to see you too, young princess."

"Just came down here for a visit, an overdue one to the honest. Nothing much aside from brining Sina down to see her grandparents and maybe a little bit of seeing how the homeland is doing following all the stuff that has been happening." The snowy prince replies, turning back to the crowd who has otherwise encircled him, "Actually been here a couple hours, but I've been trying to keep it on the DL if you know what I mean."

"Did Lydea care to join you?" Strix Struma asks

"No, aunty, she was busy with the council when I and Sina left." Josh replies, over-elaborating a simple 'no' as he tends to do, "Besides, a queen's gotta do what a queen's gotta do and by the sounds of all of it, it is mostly discussions on decisions and otherwise city planning. Now… That is one of the reasons why the Northern Council will never be like the parliament here I'll tell you now. I just decided to leave to her work, as when the Dark night is nearly here it's always busy…"

"So, how old is this little darling now?" Madame Plonk says as she all but smiles to the young granddaughter of the monarchs, "She seems all but to be growing up fast from what I've heard."

"Yeah, two now and she's a little terror sometimes…" Josh replies, walking over to pick up his daughter, "But she's an angel and she's already talking a little, but she's still all but babbling baby talk all the same. Sina, can you say "grandma" and "granddad", eh? Say grandma and grandpa."

"Grandma… Granddad." The two year old somewhat shyly responds

As the whole of the assembly swoon for how adorable the young granddaughter of the monarchs are, it becomes silently and somewhat unanimously decided of the members of The Band to call it quits. Especially now that they parliament has been unofficially dismissed in favour of spending time with the so arrived prince and his rambunctious daughter. The very thought of it not exactly interesting since they could think of better things to do aside than sink to the level of making baby talk with a barely-able to speak infant.

"I will seriously never understand why even the most serious of owls all go like goo-goo over the little owlets." Digger says, once they have left the parliament chambers

"It's just one of those things, dear. Hey, Soren, do you suppose that-" Gylfie says, before looking to notice that Soren has disappeared, "Hey, where did he go? He was just here with us a few seconds ago."

"I think save the asking of questions and making of plans for later, Gylfie, because I think I already know where he went." Twilight comments, looking off into the general direction where Soren had gone, the two others stopping beside him to look also, "It's most likely he'll be headed to her."

* * *

The Great Library of Ga'Hoole, an otherwise large archive and valuable source of knowledge is often quiet most evenings… Well that is before the playgroup comes to the library for the storytelling and otherwise activities that are run most mornings after midnight, then it becomes a ruckus, but it is allocated on the far side of the library for that reason. Tonight, since the Princess of Ambala, the usual owl that would run the playgroup and its organiser had to attend parliament, Pellimore has taken the duty for her. –The least she could do as she has seen the good that the playgroup does aside from let the parents take a few hours break, and to have the children start learning early to have an upper hand when it comes to starting school.

Pellimore is overlooking the drawings the children are doing as she walks around. She had read them one of the stories they have within the archives, and now she has asked them to do some drawings of their favourite parts and anything else they liked. She all but smiles down on the little one's attempts of drawing owls, of course, they seem a little… off… However, it is unlikely that any of them are some sort of professional artist at their ages, and not even the Prince of the Great Tree himself, who is gifted with the Gift of Intelligence, had drawn anything perfect at their age.

Soren is sneaking up and he hides behind the shelves. It is all but a gift that barn owls are so quiet… but also a hassle since they have better hearing than some others hear. –And the fact that she is a woman… hagsmire they all seem to have some sort of sixth sense about them, as they always seem to know what is going on... especially the Goddess and she's not even a Tyto.

"Soren, my sweet… I know you're here." Pellimore says, as he approaches closer, looking over to her boyfriend, "I thought you were in parliament because I'm busy right now with playgroup and you said we'd meet afterward."

"I know, I promised, but we bailed, I guess. They were making goo-goo with the monarch's granddaughter; not exactly what the job description of a junior parliamentarian calls for so we kinda… decided to leave when it was unofficially over." Soren explains, approaching his girlfriend and kissing her cheek, "How is playgroup doing? First time running it yourself without Madame Autumn around is quite an achievement I say."

"Well, I give my time wherever I can to help others in the tree, Soren. You know I am not really a Guardian yet… I'm still in training stage and in winter I haven't exactly gotten any sort of training in SR since a couple weeks ago." She responds, before picking up some books, "Hagsmire, I should be asking you how parliament went. It's quite interesting that you've been accepted to be a sort of unofficial, official member of the parliament as of yet and stuff, maybe it means something important."

"Yeah, I guess… but that's kinda on occasion I'm there I guess… that and when Queen Barran dobs us in for it. I am not complaining, but it is just a little… inconvenient," He says, helping her with the others, "Of all the times when we get an invite to attend parliament, it had to be when we made plans to spend the day together. I actually have a night away from my chaw duties for once in the last couple weeks, before something like this happens, no less have to have you called to handle the playgroup and I be rushed off to parliament all of a sudden for a stand-in and for "learning experience"."

"It sounds like you're complaining to me, Soren." Pellimore answers as she places the books on the shelf, giving him a look of disproval, "But I'm sure for dinner this morning we can have just a moment to spend time together."

"Yeah, I hope so. It's been a killer couple of weeks." Soren says with a hopeful smile, while helping his girlfriend, "I'm surprised that you haven't dumped me or anything because of it, because the last time I was busy when I had a girlfriend it didn't end well."

She then places a wing on his shoulder, "I have patience, Soren. Besides, a hero has to do what a hero does, Even if it is attending Guardian Parliament."

"Well this morning…" He says, finishing placing the books on a shelf before picking up his girlfriend and playfully swinging her around, a bit before putting her down, "…the world can wait as I want to spend time with my beautiful and devoted girlfriend."

"And I'd like that." Pellimore smiles, caressing his cheek softly, "The world really will wait?"

Soren softly laughs, "It's like it will stop time, just for us."

"Miss Pellimore! Miss Pellimore!"

Pellimore all but gives off a displeased smile, tilting her head over to the direction to where it came from and Soren just lets her go from their slight embrace before following her over to see what the owlets are doing. That is one thing that he had forgotten in the last few minutes, she is supposed to be supervising the owlets and supervising the playgroup. Nevertheless, as they say, if you are young and in love, it all but seems that the memory becomes distorted. She just leans over as the young owlet decides to show her their picture, of course, they always seem to want to show everyone their drawings, but the least you could do is give them a little bit of approval. Yet the Queen seems to have done it a little too often by almost quite literally framing all of Josh's work when he say the picture hanging in the royal study the times he has been there.

"It's lovely." Pellimore comments

Soren suddenly remembers something, "Oh, honey, before I forget, the dinner party that Ezylryb and Autumn have invited us to is coming up."

"It's going to be fun… Just as long as I can find, because I wonder what to wear though. What should I wear, Soren? They are both Ambalan Royals and it would seem a little… presumptuous to turn up not looking at least alright." She replies

"Honey, you look beautiful as you are. Ezylryb and Autumn are particularly unconventional when it comes to being royals, Ezylryb was Lyze of Kiel for ages and a Guardian and the Princess who even herself doesn't act with much grace. It's not it's some sort of royal gala or any other sort of high class event, since even the Princess wouldn't allow that when it's all going to be close friends and whatnot." He answers, as he looks over some of the other works of the owlets who want to proudly want show him

"Well… Okay then." Pellimore says, before picking up a book, "Okay, owlets who wants another story? And who wants Soren to tell them one this time."

They immediately perk up and she all but laughs as they all end up crowding around Soren, as they love it when he will tell them stories. Pellimore chuckles herself as he gives her a look and she all but gives a look, which means that she is sorry, but he should do it anyway. Soren then ends up having them all gather around as he browses for a story that he should tell them and opening the book, they all end up settling down as he starts reading aloud…

* * *

In the study, maps are laid out across the table and the figures of the two sides rest on them. For the moment, they are all but scattered across the place, wherever they are for the moment as nary a conflict has been plotted on this map since the disastrous second siege that was more of a defeat and otherwise embarrassment of a conflict for Kludd that he would rather have not done anything since. Even if he wants to continue his work, he still does not want to end up falling into another trap like before… especially for what almost happened that night that he has not been able to forget it. Especially as it returns to him in the occasional night terrors, he endures the horrifying image of his wife… laying there with a gaping wound across her chest, pouring out blood that stains her pure white feathers. The blankness and distance of her last words and… the final goodbye he never would have to live down if she really did go that night.

He sits by the edge with the snowy owl, Alexander, looking over their maps. For as much as Kludd does want the help, no less has been told and heard this plan… he still cannot be hurried into trusting the judgement of this owl. Especially for this owl, this owl who is the father of the leader of the enemy, who has otherwise made a less than impressing impression to him by making his wife upset, he just is a little less than enthusiastic about the owl behind the plan, not the plan.

"So, do tell me how this could be carried out. There aren't many bases or places between from the Palace of Darkness to… wherever that place is called. What _is_ that base called by the way? Compound it was nicknamed, yes?" Kludd enquires, interrupting the busy work of his ally of sorts

"Yes, Compound was the sort of name it had. Of course, the true name is the Snowy Tyto Pure One Palace of the North, but I never knew why Metalbeak decided to call it that." Alexander replies, placing down a map of the north and pointing it out, "Compound is nearing the mountain ranges... Past the Northern Forest by a long shot and west of the ruins of the Schana Palace and indeed east of that dreadful prison..."

"So… Whatever do you mean by you can get our target there then? Last I checked, he was an owl who would have a large army chasing on our tails every time… or worse, he could be backed by the Band, the miserable bastards they are. "The High Tyto asks, picking up a figure and tapping it lightly on the surface with his claw

The snowy owl bemusedly rolls his eyes, "Oh, please, he hears my name it will all but be tempting to come and like he would drag his army into a family matter… Of course that depends even if we have the numbers to take on the bloody Northerners."

"You're asking about our numbers, Alex?"

Alexander and Kludd turn to face the doorway as Nyra stands there, dressed in her hooded cape with a light powder of snow on it, an obvious sign that she has been pacing the grounds. He didn't expect her to leave the chamber, no less end up here when he had told her to have a night off since the distress she was in the previous morning. Alexander then gets up and bows as the queen enters, with a discerning look on her face as she approaches the table and looks at the maps they have lain out, all while Kludd all but give a look of concern.

"Our numbers in the army are that of still being under redevelopment since the secondary siege we had lead against Ga'Hoole had cost us many of our numbers. Not to mention the rest that had some side effects from the meddling of such metaphysical forces." Nyra comments, adding to her previous statement, pacing around closer to her husband, "We have barely 500 soldiers… I swear we had more before most somehow got slaughtered in the secondary siege."

"It wasn't my fault, Nyra." Kludd retorts, the least bit deflecting the blame

"Oh yeah, wasn't your fault, eh? You are the bloody one who had to get that supernatural aid from the devil and his mistress… You could have gotten me killed, Kludd!" She retorts sharply

"Hey, I have a solution, so pipe down a minute!" Alexander interjects, bringing a silence to the room for a moment, the queen taking a seat as if getting the picture, "There is an independent faction within the North. Hiding our somewhere near Rainelle, which is that are all Pure One Loyalists who had split off from the Northern Pure Ones are as I had left one of my allies within command on a mission there before my capture with a few soldiers. Unbelievably, I could actually get them on my side and they shall aide us in our conquest. I'll need a few days to head up to the North to figure things out with them."

"It is suicide!" Nyra pipes up with concern, rising to stand tall to stress her point, Kludd all but looking on with a discerning glare, "If the Northerners find you there… I know exile law even if I have been in the south half my life and I know-"

"I know, my lady." The northern lord interjects, "I know that it means what it means if I fly back to that wasteland I'll sooner lose my head, but if those pricks decide to put up their dukes, well my lady I shall take on any of the little bastards they send at me."

"Oh you can fight anything now?" Kludd sarcastically erupts, adding his input into the convocation, "If you could fight out of anything, as you so as claim, then why did you end up being locked up in prison for a decade then?"

"For as much as I can say… It was a fault that night that lead me from my position as a general to end up in a tiny cell for ten years. Imprisoned for that long in a desolate tundra wasteland with nearly no one to speak with most nights, until the night their child-queen would ascend the throne and then find a way to deal with me." He all but aloofly replies, as he thinking back on those wasted years would be more hell than explaining it

"In my opinion, you had been foolhardy not to realise it." The High Tyto states

"Kludd!" Nyra snaps in reaction of his rudeness, giving him a piercing glare, "How dare you say such…"

Alexander all but loudly chuckles, interrupting the queen as she was about to all but let her husband have it, "Dear Nyra, you have nothing to reprimand him for, neither hold him back as I can take a poorly aimed joke or just the creative criticism."

"Who said it was a joke?" Kludd coldly retorts

"You're a funny lad, you know that." The snowy owl replies with another chortle, "I will plan ahead and I will leave for the North by next evening's start, by first black, and I will so tell you now that it will surely sure up numbers."

"It better, or I'll have you for it and trust me… the last few who didn't help a High Tyto in his cause all but ended in a fate worse than death before they had been given the almighty graces to either ascend to Glaumora, unlikely to say the least, or end up in Hagsmire for all eternity." The king all but bluntly sneers, all but wanting to make it clear that if he does not come through, he is gone

"Kludd!" His wife all but exclaims again

"Oh I will, my lord. You can have my word on it as the night after next or the very night after that you will have nearly double the owls you have now to your side." Alexander says with a confident smirk, while a little amused of the young king's antics before swiftly bowing, "I bid you adieu, my lord, my lady."

Alexander leaves the study and Kludd all but stares him down as he does leave his sight. He is indeed torn believing that such an army could have been on the underground since that eloquently speaking fool could have ordered so before his capture, but all he knows is that he does not want to be played either. As his mate had blatantly pointed out, their army had taken much a blow to it in the secondary siege on Ga'Hoole those months ago, those_ five_ months ago no less, and some were either lost in combat, through complications or just lost in general. For the least of it that nearly a hundred ended up lost and their numbers all but sinking down to that of nary half of the numbers of the Ga'Hoole forces, as per one of their owl could be equal to three of theirs. –And it is all but hard to be in the middle of a war when your numbers are constantly downed to under a reasonable number that could match Ga'Hoole, no less ever match the strength of the Northern Army and the owls that had all but rallied behind the young Queen Schana who wasn't meant to be.

"I don't trust him, Nyra…" Kludd bluntly states, moving away from the table and beginning to pace about, "For all these promises that he makes about taking the North and using it to all be a weapon to decapitate the head of the Hoolian king and then having control of the tree and control of the tundra and my brother will meet his end… He promises too much that will never be and is there even any truth in it, or just the yoicks ramblings of a fool that fill my ear slits once again."

"Does it look like we have many options, Kludd?" Nyra asks him, approaching her mate and placing her wing on his shoulder, "For as much as this whole conflict now means to you, the ever so prompting goal of yours being to kill that runt of a brother of yours. As much as I dislike how obsession for revenge gets anyone anywhere, especially _your_ obsession for tearing out your brother's throat… We should at least try; we should just… try something Kludd. Five months has passed and every night… You all but become restless."

"Nyra, I rely on your council as you are my wife and your word means most to me above anyone else…" He says, turning to face her, his brown eyes meeting her concerned gaze of her blue eyes direct on, "And your word I trust more than anything, and if you say I should… I should… But just know that I will never find it in my heart to give him my trust."

"Understood." She simply replies, nodding her head

"And if the slightest thing goes wrong and if anything happens to hurt you in any way with this… I will not hesitate to make sure his head comes off…" He continues all but placing a wing to his wife's cheek, "Nyra… I love you more than any owl could love his mate and maybe it is high time we get our way."

"And I would wish to be again the Queen of the North and your empress in ruling the world once we have destroyed the Guardians." Nyra comments

"I can do much better than that." Kludd says, before suddenly taking his wife in an embrace, making her all but giggle like a child, "It's good to see yourself to normal once again after last evening."

They all but become lost for words, after being married for eight months and together for a year and a half since first meeting and now about a year since they first had dated they could all but tell what each other are thinking otherwise. Nyra all but seems phased by the last statement as Kludd looks toward his wife he holds close, her beautiful blue eyes all but full of love and care as she cares about him almost more than anything in the world, and her council says so as she does want what is right.

They come a little closer and their beaks meet in a loving embrace for a few moments, and their kisses are still as passionate as the first time quite some time ago now, especially for how much they love the other. It all but lasts seemingly for minutes, even if it's not before they break away.

"If you are done with your maps and your little figures should you be able to join Elanore and me for dinner this morning I would be very happy." Nyra says to the least with a hopeful smile on her face

"I'll try, love. I promise." Kludd replies, the least bit not wanting anyone to get in his way of spending time with her, "Let's just hope that nothing gets in my way unless they want a sword skewered through them."

She kisses his cheek, "I have soldiers to train, so I have to be on my way."

"And I have a kingdom to run." He says, all but adding his input into it as they break their embrace, "Oh and Nyra… Thank you."

Nyra walks to the door and opens it before smiling back to her husband, who ends up settling over at his desk. They both have their roles to play as the High Tyto and Queen of their empire, roles on either side from army to governance, from formalities of state to training and raising an army which would fight in the middle of this Everlasting War that has been raging on for as long as the time of the owls themselves. Of course, their command in general has a share into this, whether it be the council or the army commanders. Nyra leaves out the doors and walks down the corridor as Kludd then picks up the quill and looks down on the work he has to do… He can hope that he won't let his wife down in the plans he makes.


	5. Chapter 5:Alexander's Northern Pure Ones

_Well, for once I am writing a chapter that is based around our main antagonist Lord Alexander, and slice a Boron monologue in the mix too to keep things interesting. As it is a story that is well on its way to being M rated there may be a little bit of conflicting stuff in the chapter ahead. Especially as we introduce a new character into the mix that actually has an important role later on in more than just this fanfic as she does have a role in the latter half of the Uprising of Darkness series, so she is more than just a one-time character. That and there is a once-appearing unnamed character there which you do not have to worry about as they do not mean nothing here and I have enough OC at the moment. I am mainly warning about an abusive assault scene aside from a few sexual references and whatnot._

* * *

Chapter 5: Alexander's Northern Pure Ones

General Alexander of Snowy Tyto, a title which is the honorific that he is a Northern-born Pure –like the Queen Nyra- and member of the Northern Pure Ones, a faction that until his mentioning the previous night was shortly forgotten after the return of the Schana monarchy. Winter could all but be a painful reminder to the tundra he has been born and bred, debuted as a young heir and lord to be, commanded in as both a monarchist and loyal military commander, then commanding officer of the Pure One's Northern Branch and then exiled. –And tonight he has all but ordered himself to return to the place of his exile for a greater cause.

It is an early night on snowy July 27th of the time of winter, or as most says it, a snowy night in the middle of White Rain, four nights since his initial exile and three since his arrival in the St. Aegolius Canyons to the St. Aegolius Pure One Base. It is a little after the moon has risen and he is all but one of few commanders to grace the halls on this early evening. As he is preparing to leave within a short moment's notice, he is on his way to the northern gates of the base, going through the grand palace to get there. He begins to pass by where the Royal Courtyard is and he all but looks out on his way before pausing in his tracks for what he sees.

Out in the snow, the fifteen-year-old prodigy and General of the Pure Ones, Lady Elanore draws her bow once again, training on the effigy as he had seen upon the evening before the ball that following morning. The young woman is alone, and from the looks of things her 'mother' is not awake yet and must be either asleep or that of getting ready –and as he knows the queen, she does like to take her sweet time when it is in peacetime- and she yet as though is training by herself. From the looks of her archery the times he has seen her training most mornings, the girl is good, but the long distance needs work, and with age comes experience and she may already be general from this young, but she still needs training. He carefully comes out the doors, wanting to observe the 'daughter's' training, and to sneak around a Barn owl is all but challenging as they have the better hearing and she is trying to line up her shot as well, which is one time you shouldn't interrupt...

"Lady Elanore, pardon my intrusion, however may I ask where you had learnt that shot." Alexander interrupts

Elanore lowers her bow, "Lord Metalbeak taught me... not long before his death."

She is about to line up her shot again when Alexander speaks, "Again, pardon my intrusion, milady, but, I have to mention this actually. While I am staying in the guest chamber, I came across a Rosewood pendant of sorts... Moreover, to hagsmire to know where it would have come from what I have heard is that no one had been in that chamber in a long while and perhaps it could be yours. You are from Rosewood, yes?"

Elanore places down her bow before approaching the snowy owl as he retrieves a necklace from his satchel. She takes it and observes it; looking down on a silver and red pendant with a Rosewood insignia of the resistance engraved on it.

"It is indeed a Rosewood pendant, Lord Alexander, however... It could not be mine as I cannot remember even having one." Elanore replies, still looking down on it, "And I wouldn't have had one when I was nine anyway, as I was too young to be given one of these pendants either way as I was all but a little girl when I left Rosewood."

"Ah, but you are not a little girl anymore, Elanore." Alexander announces, striking her with a little bit of bewilderment , "You are a growing young lady and a year off your Sixteen Commemoration and knowing that mother of yours, she would otherwise hold a debutante ball. I say you should wear it, lass, as you are a Rosewood-born, yes."

"But Nyra wouldn't approve of me wearing-"She responds

"Nyra knows of tradition as a Northerner, and so it would count toward your Rosewood traditions that you wear a pendant with the crest of the Kingdom State of Rosewood on it, even if it is the resistance." He interjects, for the least getting her there as she knows of how much her mother is keen on her traditions, "If I may..."

Elanore hands it back to him as she lowers her hood and he places it around her neck, fixes it so it sits above her scarf and the front of the cape, and then fixes the hood for her as she peers down at the necklace that sits around her neck. Alexander all but looks to the young woman with a smile, as she is all but a beautiful young creature that Nyra has raised herself and she somewhat resembles the queen in her persona of having beauty and elegance, as well as fierceness and much prowess to their combat.

One of the doors to the Royal Courtyard opens once again, "And will you be leaving soon instead of distracting Lady Brix?"

Alexander turns around, as Lord Kludd who is standing at the door and still inside the palace. He then nods with respect to Elanore before walking back on the snowy path back to the doorway where Kludd stands looking bemused as usual whenever he sees him.

"You definitely aren't patient...,"Alexander says as he walks past the Barn Owl

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kludd exclaims with some offence, while closing the door and nodding to his wife's foster daughter

"You should have a little more patience as a king, Kludd. The empire wasn't built in a day." The Snowy Owl replies as he walks down the hall

The king catches up to the commander, "I have patience, Alexander, but the one thing I don't approve of here is you flirting with a fifteen year old girl, nevertheless _my wife's_ daughter."

"The nerve!" Alexander exclaims, now having his turn to be offended, stopping in his tracks to face the king, "I'll have you know, my lord, that I am a Northern Lord through and through. I would raise a talon to my neck and rather leave tears in it pissing out my own blood and to fade into the light than to do such a thing."

"Well like it or not, I have to be an older brother and sort of protector to the young lady for my wife as I had promised Nyra. If you would do such a thing I would gladly end your life if you were to ever do such a thing to her." Kludd icily and harshly retorts, showing of how protective he can be for Nyra's adoptive child, "And there would be more than a few messily gashes across the neck when your head would be pissing out blood when it would be put on a damn pike sitting at the top of this castle."

"Duly noted..." The snowy lord replies with a nod, not showing how internally alarmed he is from such a descriptive execution, "Now I leave for the North right at this moment in time. Depending on my negotiations with my former command, if at least one of them is still alive that is since the fall of the Pure One North, and with a young woman who would make God Winston seem like a fool with how much she knows... I will be back no later than the morning of the night after next if all goes well."

"Well good, because I want this done quickly and I'll only be giving you three nights to get it done in." The king mentions, as they enter the main courtyard outside the palace and the front gates, "I have an empire to run and we have plans to get underway and the least we could do is hurry up and hit them while we have the chance."

Alexander nods, "As you wish, Lord Metalbeak."

The gates to the base are opened, Kludd all but watches as the snowy owl passes through them and takes off out into the canyon lands, flying off into a flurry of snow that is coming down. For the least of the promises that this snowy snob has promised to for fill, he better be getting onto this one as for the least of if he fails him... Well then, there goes another one of their useless business partners and he would get this burden of conscious away from him if he does so do the enemy king a favour and end his pitiful, lower species, suck up of a life.

* * *

Speaking of the enemy king, over in Ga'Hoole, on this new winter's night of July 27th, he is all but pacing around the study all before they would have breakfast. Sleep is the least of the problems he faces now, as there are papers and scrolls sitting on the table. Some with the insignia of the United Kingdoms of Owl, some with the least of a signature from a Guardian Spy within the Pure Ones as it's individual mark to tell it apart. All of them saying that Lord Alexander is indeed at the St. Aegolius Pure One Base, but for the reason now that is unknown as nothing has been said as to why he is there and what he is doing.

Boron paces back and forth in front of his desk, _"He is indeed there... Yet it is a little unavoidable to say the least that the inevitable had would have happened. However, it says that Kludd would not have allowed him in if it were not for his wife being one of the few remaining commanders who were involved in the Pure One control of the Northern Kingdoms. There is nothing I can do about it, nothing at all that could have fixed this or can fix this without endangering my people with another war of sorts... no less having them find out the truth which I can already imagine there would be whispers about._

_If only I could have done something all those years ago to prevent it all that night... I wish I could have picked up a dagger and snuck into his chamber and did an unthinkable deed... but then again I would have done the world a favour in hindsight by stopping the owl from taking down the Schana, killing Lydea's parents and also half, if not almost all of the aristocracy. I know for a fact that we can't change the past, nor could I have done such a thing when I was sixteen and willing to go far as betrayal for loving Barran, but not to raise a dagger against my father for no matter how much of a pain he was to me growing up... His death would have been justified anyway as he is nothing more than a liar and a traitor whose claws are forevermore bloodied since of all those he was responsible for killing that bloody night twenty years ago._

_The father I knew, the owl who was a father first and a commander and lord second who loved my mother and me more than anything and the caring and sincere owl died a long time before that bloody night and long before I ran away. All long before he would have started to manipulate my life to his liking and have me grow up to take the place of his heir, marry to whom he chose which was Lydea's aunt, Shia'ja Schana and make me become trapped within the miserable life of an aristocrat. –And here I am contemplating about what would have been when I am nearly forty and having become King of Ga'Hoole since I was sixteen. When I was no more than still a child and a noble runaway. Unofficially engaged to Barran and having her godfather as our otherwise caretaker and Strix following along with us as she was going to be married within the next year or so and would have to give up her fencing._

_And to this, I have to admit that I will have to find a way to deal with him, before he would influence Soren's brother to begin another campaign against us and before it would be too late to do it myself. Lydea would not have killed him, and I know it was for out of trying to show respect to my family and since she is actually quite correct in the statement that there has been too much bloodshed in the North. The lass were only trying to do what was right, and I do not blame her, but she has unwillingly let loose a threat against all of us. –I would put my own life on the line to deal with him now... To rid my family of the burden his name brings to us and try to free us from the shame it brings to us..."_

There is a knock at the study door and Boron pauses as his son pokes his head in from the other side.

"Breakfast is ready, dad." Josh announces

"Alright, thank you, Josh." Boron replies, heading toward the door to follow, _"Time will only tell what will become of us... This family, this world and the Everlasting War that is all but raging on with every night that passes..."_

* * *

As the moon makes its way across the skies above, in the Northern Tundra, it all but is fading in and out between the clouds as it makes its way to become morning time. Snowflakes fall outside an ancient structure in the middle of a lowly mountain-based range of the Northern Province of Rainelle. It looks like a palace from the exterior with walls surrounding the large, ancient building, which is sitting on a large raised ground within the upper-lower mountainside. On the walls, there are some owls on the patrols, braving the weather, but unlike any sort of palace or anything else, they are wearing an adaptation of the Pure One Helm which most of their soldiers down south don atop their heads. –A difference being that a distinct faction signal of a dark red snowflake, the bleeding snowflake, is ornamented on all of them on the forehead.

Inside this building, shelves of books stretch high up to the roof and as long as all of the walls, meaning that this building is not a palace, but that of a great library. –The Royal Library of the Queen Nya of North, or for short, Queen Nya's Library this is- and scrubbing at the floors is a young woman of a little older than the Schana Queen is who is now only two decades old, a young Snowy Owl woman who is nearing three decades old. Standing idly by near the Snowy Owl is an owl who dons one of the same helms as the Guards outside, a Barn Owl who wears a titular sash of sorts with two medals pinned to it. For the least showing that he may be their commander and she may be in fact a captive of sorts.

"Of all the things you have done, of all the things you will ever do, you will all but spend your nights toiling away in this old library." The Barn Owl commander says, while in observance, interrupting the speechlessness of the room that had only been filled with the sound of scrubbing for the last few hours or so

"You should watch your tongue..." The snowy owl woman replies, pausing in her scrubbing for a moment, "This library holds more information than you think it does."

"Oi, I don't take orders from the likes of you!" The commander snaps in response as she resumes her work, "Even if you were the lady friend of Lord Alexander..."

"I wasn't his 'lady friend'!" She replies, stopping her work once again and turning around to glare with her pale, light blue eyes giving an angered, piercing glare as she takes much offence to the statement, "I would have never let that bastard never near me no less end up doing what you so say... Traditional Northern girls save themselves for marriage and being a custodian of this library means the same."

He stands offensively, "Oh yeah, sure, you're a virgin like I'm a Guardian. Don't make me laugh, you stupid girl, you were his mistress, his paramour or even a little whore of his since he did away with his disobedient traitor of a wife... I don't know why we would have wasted our dwindling resources for a woman like you over this last decade since Lord Alexander isn't going to ever return, nor the Tytonic Union ever getting the Northern Kingdoms back."

The doors to the library suddenly are forced open in a violent manor, the cold wind all but blasts through the room before they are closed again as a messenger approach the commander.

"Lieutenant Commander, we have an urgent visitor who has arrived at the Underground. He requests yours and Lady Nadia's presences." The messenger announces

"Who the devil would be asking for I, no less for _her_?" The lieutenant commander asks the messenger

"You'll be letting me leave the library for once?!" Nadia, the snowy owl pipes up in question, as if she could be hearing this properly

"Are you stupid or something?" The commander suddenly snaps, turning his head toward her, "Of course you are not leaving, however you are only leaving only for a determined time... If only this imbecilic buffoon will only hurry up and tell me who is asking for yours and my presences."

"It is Lord Alexander himself who had sent these orders, sir. He has returned to us and to the hideout and he requests this at once." The messenger finally replies

Without a single moment to lose, an escort is organised to follow the orders given. Without even a moment fix herself up properly something to wear outside beside a simple, plain scarf that has been lopsidedly pinned, Nadia comes out of the library into the cold winter weather, not that it would bother any of these Northerners as they have been born and raised within weather such as this. The small brigade heads down the valley way through this part of the province as quick as they can even while the snow flurries that are coming down through the lands hamper their progress.

* * *

The Rainelle Province Underground Northern Pure One Base is a whole base that may be underground and is a whole bunch of naturally carved tunnels and chambers and whatnot has been habited for nearly a whole decade. It is a whole system of underground caverns and despite its location, it is quite roomy as before mentioned being a system of caverns, and it currently houses nearly four hundred loyalists and soldiers who had all been survivors of the initial overthrow of the Pure One rule two years ago. For the least, they had become like the Aristocratic Underground during their reign of the North, a little bit of an irony, as they are the ones who are the underground now that the Schana was restored to the throne in the aftermath of their greatest defeat aside from The Battle of the Ice Claws.

Alexander sits in a dim chamber in wait, in the lack of natural light in this base no less in the entire cavern even, the candles have to do and by the looks of the amount of wax everywhere, they go through quite a lot of them. He had only arrived about twenty minutes ago since the winter winds blowing him northward had only taken him most of this night. If not the whole fourteen hours nonstop getting here, the least he could do now is have a bit of a rest in this sort of 'leaders chamber' and wait until the owls he had summoned for have arrived. Of course, he would rather see the woman he had summoned, Nadia, later as the main concern is the actual leader of this underground squadron as he himself is on a mission for the High Tyto and their southern father group.

He paces a bit before the chamber doors are opened and the owl he has asked for enters, and then notices something afoul.

"Where is the other one?" Alexander asks

"Did you not get a memo, milord? My protégé ended up dying in the Schana take back of the throne two years ago. It has been I who has headed this squad for the last couple of years." The Lieutenant Commander answers, "Died defending Compound from the Guardians who then overtook it anyway."

"Oi, first time I see you in ten years, lad, and are you being smart with me?" The General and real commander of this Northern faction of the Pure Ones replies, "I've actually flown a long bloody way from the south to come here and am risking my tailfeathers just being here to bring you a proposition from our father group and a new plan in the workings."

The sub-commander returns a quizzical look, "You have been exiled and shouldn't even be here and the first time any of us see you is actually ten years after your initial arrest. Of course we have means to be surprised to say the least..."

"This wasn't exactly the reception I was hoping for, but then again it's quite miserable here in Rainelle isn't it?" Alexander responds, with a bit of a stretch of his tired wings, "Quite miserable being in an underground base in the middle of Rainelle Province's unpopulated nowhere in the middle of a terrible winter... Are you the commander?"

"Have been since the night before your arrest and the position only quite affirmed the night after my partner's defeat at the hand of the Guardians, milord." The Barn owl nods

"Good... Then we have much to discuss, my boy. All but one which will help restore the Pure Ones to their rightful place on the Northern Throne and terminate the Schana's control once, if not, for all." The General says as he then cares to take a seat, before signalling to the other owl in the room to do so too, "...And handle a few things here and there, tighten a few loose ends as they say."

The lieutenant takes a seat opposite to the snowy owl commander, "If I may, Lord Nyctea, how could any of this be possible when Lord Metalbeak perished a year and a half ago and the boy-king leads in his stead and has been screwing the widow that he has taken as his own."

"Well I have actually struck a deal with the new Lord Metalbeak, whose true name aside from his alias is truly named Lord Kludd..." Alexander explains, seemingly dismissing the derogatory comments made about the new king and his dear friend, the queen, "If we contribute our numbers, which is almost the whole of their slightly depleted army, we will take part in quite a conflict which will be the redemption we are looking for as the true leaders of The North."

"Sir, the North has changed since the days of old, and not just because another Schana has ascended the throne either." The secondary commander comments in some doubt, "Their army has become two times stronger than of last time, everyone seemingly rallying behind the young Queen and... well... we're clearly outnumbered."

The Snowy Owl General gives a look of disapproval, "Have some optimism, lad. We shall re-join our southern brothers-in-arms once again, reinstate the Northern Pure Ones once again and give a name to ourselves. The Bloody Snowflake will rise above the palaces and battlements once again along with the Pure One banners and the snow will all but be coloured in the beautiful red... That is if you are game on giving the glory back to this faction. All you have to say is one word and it will be done."

"Anything for the Bloody Snowflake, my lord..." The lieutenant replies, before pouring drinks and handing one to Alexander, "To our health and to the Tytonic Union of the Pure Ones and their empire."

"How generous..." Alexander comments, taking the drink and drinking it, "Well, I better go and spread the news. Oh how I have missed making an address... it's really been too long."

Alexander then gets up and leaves out the doors of this specialised chamber and then walks along a bit of a corridor much like that of the Pure One Castle down in the canyon lands. He then comes to a set of doors of which are opened by two guards and he comes to a bit of a balcony above a large meeting area. Over the edge of the balcony being suspended the symbol of the Pure One Northern faction of the Bloody Snowflake as well as suspended from the ceiling on some of the walls being Pure One banners from the original faction they descend from on the walls. The very room being like a throne room of sorts in the middle of the canyon as the last time he was here was for his last address to instate that lieutenant and his little friend as the commanders. -And even he is surprised that she still knows his way around this place after ten years. Everyone stands at attention while chanting his name, as the soldiers and loyalists all look at him, the very notion a little humbling for his first address back ever...

"Well, it is nice of you to give me a warm welcome, but do settle down as I have to get down to business." Alexander says, bringing a hush across the room as they intend to listen, "Ten years too long have we been in the underground by force, two years ago kicked off of our rightful place on the throne because of the Schana daughter ascending the throne with the aid of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. All of this I say comes to an end as a new dawn will become on the North."

There is much cheering before Alexander all but makes a gesture for them to be quiet as he begins to speak again, "Our late king, Lord Metalbeak, had perished all but a year and a half ago but in light of that our new king had risen to take his place, to become his legacy. All why I had journeyed to the young Lord Kludd from here four nights ago after the child queen threw me out of here. Journeyed to meet our new Lord Metalbeak, to tell him a plan to restore the North to its former glory. To restore all the glory that we have lost and take out those who are our enemies. And now he has agreed, but it will take all of us to help our southern brothers in fulfilling this duty."

"And that is why that we will fly south by the before the darkness will fall on the land, fly south to join our brothers and sisters down in the south and arrive this time next evening where we will all but plan to take back what is ours so soon... We will fight alongside them to take back what is rightfully ours and overthrow the child Queen Lydea Schana and her miserable family... For the glory of the Bloody Snowflake as our banners alongside our southern cousins and for the glory the Pure Ones!"

They begin to hoot and holler and chant to hail the Pure Ones and once again chanting their general's name. The atmosphere that of excitement as they could all but want to be in control of the North once again, to regain the glory they had lost when the Guardians came and destroyed it all. Destroying it by making sure the true heir came back to the throne. All of this of yet a sore reminder of what Lord Alexander had missed in those ten years that they had kept him prisoner. Missing the feeling of having your loyalists listen to every word you say and approve and chant your name and the sheer energy of the announcements being made and its effect on the loyalists and soldiers below as they rally behind the Pure One banners as well as their faction's own. –As he had said, one of these sides will win the Everlasting War and the one of them that does will be the greatest empire of them all.

_"__Hail the Pure Ones! Down with the Schana! Down with the Monarchy! All Hail Lord Alexander of the North! Hail Lord Kludd of the Pure Ones, carrier of Metalbeak's legacy and king of the Tyto race!"_

* * *

In one of these dark, underground chambers, a sort of one set up for a queen of some sort through the décor and style and the colours they have used, and the whole room actually a little brighter than the rest with a lot more candles in this one chamber alone. The snowy owl 'lady' Nadia sits alone otherwise tapping her talons against a surface. Unappeased for having to wait no less have to have this night come when the last ten years have not been the most pleasant either way. She had otherwise been his prisoner for the two decades, even when he was in jail... And now this meeting today, both a confrontation she wishes could not happen and something she has been waiting for in so long...

The Chamber doors, which had been closed to keep her in there, are opened so suddenly it is almost unexpected and Alexander enters. She all but looks away, not wanting to make eye contact with the owl who has otherwise ruined her life this last decade of her life even when he was absent from his post in jail.

"I had a feeling that you would show up and ruin my life even more..." Nadia speaks, looking away and breaking the silence of the room, "You have made me spend the last ten years locked away in my library with that jerk of a lieutenant and guards everywhere, making it hard to leave if not at all. Nothing to do aside from read nearly all the books, toil away cleaning and scrubbing, sorting and cooking and making fires to keep the place warm during the winters and chilly summers... All but work I was forced into as a prisoner."

"I at least didn't let you get killed in the overthrow and you should be grateful of that." Alexander replies, at least saying something

She turns and looks at him with a piercing glare of her pale light blue eyes, "I have been waiting for this day to come where you would show your face to me again and I would be ready to end your misery... As you deserve to die right now than make a fool of yourself even more."

"You could have overpowered the guards at any time, or dug a tunnel or something and could have tracked me down and done it by now as I thought you knew better." He snidely remarks with a displeased glare as he thought of her as better

"I'd rather bide my time than sink to your level and every night I made a mark to how many nights and days would pass until you come here..." Nadia replies, affirming her decisions made, "The whole wall is marked."

Alexander then tries to approach her and she then suddenly recoils back fervour away, "Why wouldn't you have come already and forced your claws against my neck and shred it like tealeaves, hm? Or use my own dagger against me and manage to tear out my heart or something like that."

"Because it would be sinking to your level." She then says firmly

"Well... Guess what I need from you..." He says as he begins to circle around her suddenly, "Now... I need a young otherwise queen to serve with me when it comes to commanding the North with the Pure Ones. If you will ever want your freedom, if you will ever want to fulfil your sworn duties as a custodian then you may as well answer me now. You can plot all you want against me... But I will never fall."

When Alexander finishes his circling and comes to face Nadia direct on, Alexander rapidly strikes her hard across the face, knocking her into a table as she stumbles backward. He then suddenly grasp her by the throat and forces her against the wall corresponding and holds her there as he presses down and tightens his rasp on her neck. The snowy owl female all but struggling to breathe and struggling to get herself free in general as his sudden swing has brought her here...

"Will you be a good little girl, Nadia?" Alexander asks menacingly, squeezing tightly

"...N-No!" Nadia ousts, while struggling for breath, and twitching, trying to refuse

He tightens his grip with a sickening smile, "I've already dealt with one measly whore who wouldn't listen to me and betrayed me to the resistance. Do you want to end up like Monique? Do you want to end up like her, Nadia? Stone cold dead and without a head, Nadia?"

She begins to cave in, her eyes watering with tears while everything starts fading outward as he may not give up until she is dead and she all but breaks into tears, "...Y-Yes... Yes! I-I give... Give..."

Submitting, he lets the limp body of the girl drop to the ground in a foul slam as she fanatically tries to regain her breath, crying while she does so. He all but stands there peering down with a stern look on his face as she all but sits there like a crying lump of feathers and a weak, spineless little wench that he should have dealt with a long time before now if she wasn't important to his ambitions and to his goals.

"Clean yourself up and get some sleep... We'll be leaving for St. Aegolius early and if you're half the woman you should be as a Northerner you should look appropriate when being presented to the new High Tyto, his Queen and their General." Alexander orders, before heading toward the door, "You would be a fool to betray me, Nadia... or your life will become a living hagsmire."

Nadia struggles to her feet, supporting herself on the nearby table, "I'm already in one, Alexander!"

"SHUT UP!" He yells in response, turning his head back with a sharp glare, bringing a silence to the room, before opening the door, "There will be ladies in waiting attending to you accordingly... I am not a heartless bastard when it-"

"You are a heartless bastard!" She retorts with all of her strength put into it

Alexander closes the door and suddenly turns around, "Oh yeah, a heartless bastard, eh? If I were really a heartless bastard and not the lord I am, Nadia, I would have done what most of those heartless captors would have done and you would have had a ten year old bastard to your name by now!"

She falls silent, unable to find anything to respond with for once.

"I thought so..." Alexander says, before turning his tail and leaving out the doors, leaving the woman alone in the chamber all by herself.

* * *

Preparing for an arrival, the Pure Ones have gone almost all out to roll out the welcome for their Northern cousins and otherwise child group to say the least of it. Additional banners are all now hung throughout the base of that of the Bloody Snowflake, the Northern Pure One insignia. It had come about after the death of the Schana Royals, as it is all but a variation of their house heraldic sign as a royal family except of being red in colour and symbolic of blood and the death of the royals. It was the unofficial flag of the Pure One North for a long time...

In the dawn's early light, Kludd stands there in his polished helm over his face and a dark red cape donned on his shoulders awaiting the arrival. Beside him to his right, his wife, Nyra being dressed properly for this little meet herself in a lighter shade red cape with a headpiece circlet sitting on her forehead that is silver and adorned with red gems. And to her side is the General, Lady Elanore, looking very regal in a rich burgundy cape which has a pin resting to the side and she all put has the hood trimmed with fluff pulled over her head as she needs not no crown when it comes down to the most of it.

The main event comes and the gates open for Alexander and behind him Nadia and her attendants to enter and behind them, their soldiers in a forward march of sorts as they land and then follow their leader into this large, expansive courtyard on the north side of the Pure One base. They all entering a group at a time before they all come to a pause when all have arrived; the gates are closed behind them. Alexander bowing before them, the soldiers following suit in this fashion as they show the upmost respect toward the High Tyto and the commanding party which stand before them.

"I promised, my lord, and I delivered on that promise." Alexander says as he rises from his bow, "Almost four hundred soldiers from the Northern Pure Ones who had been underground for the better and worse of ten years since my arrest or to the last two years since the overthrow."

"Well... I must say that this is all but a surprise..." Kludd comments, while looking over the army that is presented before him, "For the least I could have trusted you on this one, actually... However my judgement remains the same, if not still reserved."

"Before I forget, I do present to you my paramour, Lady Nadia." The snowy owl then says, directing their attention to the young woman beside him who all but shakily curtseys, "Now you don't have to be shy in front of their imperial highnesses... Nadia, to the left of his lordship, is Her Pureness, Queen Nyra of Snowy Tyto, and beside her is her adoptive daughter and the young General, Her Elegancy, Lady Elanore Camille of Rosewood Tyto."

Nyra nods in return to the respect shown to her, "You must be tired from the flight. I say you and your ladies in waiting may as well come inside from this ghastly cold. That and you should join Elanore, my ladies and I for tea as well while we're at it."

"Alright, you ladies go while we sort out things..." Alexander says as the women of the command begin to head off

"Alexander, follow me if you may." Kludd says as he begins to head off into another direction, a cue that someone else lower in his command should deal with the visitors, "We have an uprising to plan."

"Ah, yes, of course we do, my good sir." The snowy owl replies as he follows along beside the High Tyto, "We may as well start planning it then if we want to have a time to carry out a plan such as this one soon... While the window of opportunity is still open for as long as time will allow and we must siese it as soon as we can get it."


	6. Chapter 6: Compromised!

_Wow... This is actually the second chapter in a couple days to have updated this story. Seems that since exams I have actually come around to a little bit of writing between assignment work and whatnot... Wish I could be getting a few more reviews on the progress and whatever, but you know... Okay, here is where the plot is going to intensify... as the main event comes around *cue the Dunn, dunn, dunn sound*._

* * *

Chapter 6: Compromised!

_July 30__th__, early morning_

Queen Lydea retired from her duties early this evening during the wrath of a small winter snowstorm that is hitting Snowflake Palace with accelerated waves of show falling from the sky. She sits in a wing of her chamber, which is what they consider a "sunroom" for how much light it lets in through these large windows of glass if there were one, and it gives a perfect view of the whole of the area below the palace. She mayn't be alone, as ladies in waiting all but sit either side of the Schana Queen reading their books while she is embroidering, but when Lydea is focused in her work it could all but seem the world disappears from around her. She's otherwise taken up her embroidering again as she has nothing else to do, her daughter and the one thing else she devotes her life to aside from the throne of the North has gone south down to Ga'Hoole to spend time with her paternal grandparents… or at least the grandparents she has living that is.

Lydea sighs as she works on this embroidery before looking up to a portrait that hangs on the wall behind her, which has black fabric around its sides… She wanted a copy of the portrait here for more than just her sake, as Sina may venture south to get to know grandparents, Boron and Barran, the least Lydea could do is give her daughter something to show who her maternal grandparents are. Arin and Nynia look happy as they are dressed in their coronary finery as depicted in one of their last pictures… It may be the only thing she remembers of her parents… as she was only a few hours old when they were taken away from her on the night of the coup.

She hears the door to her chamber opening and she and the two ladies beside her look toward the open doorway into the main room of the chamber as one of the Royal Guards at the door enters and then stands there, bowing with respect.

"Your grace, General Taw is here to see you." The guard says

"Ah, how could I forget he was going to come by this morning? Send him in, please." Lydea replies

The Guard then disappears, she all but hears the door open again, and the mutters exchanged. She mayn't be blessed with such hearing to that of the barn owls, however everything in this chamber seems to echo and become audible in another part of it for even for how quiet one can be. A few moments later the Commander and General of the Northern Royal Military enters, one of the few surviving members of the Coup and indeed one of the heads of the disassembled Aristocratic Underground, Taw of House Arian enters. This Great Horned Owl had been a member of an aristocratic house that, like House Nyctea, House Lynai, House Cress and House Purudyn, had been somewhat disassembled since the coup and has only been reinstated thus far in the last two years since the return of the Royal House of Schana to the throne. And henceforth has been named head of the house.

"My Queen." General Taw says as he bows, "I trust that you are faring well even in this turbulent weather?"

"As well as I can, my lord." Lydea replies with a nod, before moving her wing to a place nearby her to signal that he can sit beside her, "However my main concerns are far beyond that of my own at the moment. Even as I try to find some solace in embroidery, it seems that my thoughts are contemplated while I am sending a needle through fabric. I am sure you have heard enough of the happenings of the council over the last few nights…"

"Afraid so, your grace." The General replies, while taking a place next to the young queen and nodding to a lady in waiting to accept a cup of tea, "However I have to report that Alexander has not been anywhere near the North since his exile those nights ago."

"And he better not return." The Queen says as she looks to her side as the woman then pours her some tea, and she nods herself to the notion in a silent thank you, "I know I should have done away with him… however I have no intention, or even want to have my grandfather in law executed. Even if it would be protocol if he shall return, even if it would be in a way 'avenging my parents' deaths'… I wouldn't want to have any more violence, nor would want disrespect Boron by executing his father and my husband by killing his grandfather."

"Let us hope it will not come to it then." Taw says, before sipping the tea for a moment, "The winter has already been harsh on this kingdom already, so has the twentieth anniversary of that cursed night and now the politics that is has the kingdom's council in a somewhat tussle of words. I do so envy your husband and daughter as they are at least escaping this winter madness by going down south…"

Lydea in turn sips her tea, "Yes, it is good for Josh to be in Ga'Hoole, as he can sometimes seem like he is all but of disappointment to not have a role in my government and just be a the stay at home parent to our daughter. I am grateful that he is at least supportive to my ruling while still being lovingly faithful to me."

"Royal marriage all but seems like a more complicated version of regular marriage to me, to be honest…" He says, adding some input of opinion into it, "Especially when you're married between two kingdoms like you and Josh are. One of you has influence here and the other commands there and the both of you will have to split your children between the both of them to make sure they have heirs and… indeed complicated."

The windows suddenly open and the ladies in waiting scurry to close them before the fire goes out and it gets too cold. Snowflakes then fall on the Queen as she suddenly goes blank… The General noticing this first as she suddenly loses any other emotion aside from blankness and drops her tea. There have only been a few other instances of when this would happen. They say that it is a sudden event that the Schana and their monarchs descended from Nya herself all experience… if a sort of something that gives them guidance and it all starts when the smallest of snowflakes comes into contact with their body.

"Your majesty, your grace!" The two attendants shout, one phrase alternates, crowding around the queen to want to know if she is okay

"Give her some space, girls." Taw orders, rising from his place to approach the queen to be close enough while the two women step away a bit

Queen Lydea blinks, moving as she comes out of her trance, "Prepare the army… We have to be on alert."

* * *

Down in the South, as per referred to as the kingdoms below by all owls, not just the Northerners, the Great Tree comes onto another dawn and another morning. The tree has been a fluster as the news had gotten out that Prince Josh had come down from the North, his ambition of having a visit to where he could just be out of the prying eyes of the citizens now tarnished as word spreads quickly through the twists and turns of the Great Tree. As Josh has been so, and very suddenly, invited to a small function down at the GTA wherein the Art Students are displaying their works, another informal function is going to be underway at this very moment as Soren and his girlfriend Pellimore are going to attend.

"I am quite happy to have such royal connections… The thought of being in an Inner Circle of sorts is quite fascinating to say the least." Pellimore comments as they fly around through the twists, turns, and through the many branches of the Great Tree, "And I never thought that I would be invited to dinner with Ambalan Royals who are both dignified in other areas aside form a foreign noble title."

"I never knew, to be honest, that Ezylryb would hit it off with a princess, no one really ever expected it actually as I had heard months ago back at their wedding." Soren comments, recalling upon how many had said, "But then again anything is possible and I've seen enough to know that my mentor is capable of a lot of things actually."

They land outside the hollow of the royal couple who are quite the talk of the tree for more than just their standing as respected rybs, there are two, large, and very severe looking Ambalan Royal Guards standing by the doors. The both of them adorned with helms of a glittery golden colour in the early morning's light and at the middle of their helm at the forehead being a single orange gem. –Orange being the colour Ambala affiliates themselves when each of the kingdoms chose a colour. Suddenly the princess appears.

"Oh Soren, Pellimore, I must say that is good that you are here." Autumn cheerfully says as she greets the two Barn Owls, "Come in, come in, dears. Oh, but be mindful as admitting I am on babysitting tonight for the young Schana Princess, and even for a princess she leaves a few things everywhere."

The pair of Barn Owls enter the hollow, immediately being greeted by their friends in a warm welcome of sorts. Even if they may see each other countless times, the least they could do is give a friendly hello and acknowledge their presence. Digger and Gylfie seem all but chill as they are sitting at one part of the centre room. Opposite them being Twilight who all but peers down as his girlfriend, Strix is playing with the young granddaughter of the Monarchs who looks up confused as most babies seem to be once the pair of Barn Owls enter the room and the attention is drawn elsewhere, that is while she is somewhat chewing on her toy.

Once everything is settled down, that is when everyone gathers together around the table for dinner, including the young snowy princess everyone seems to be exchanging talk and exchanging the occasional fast-paced quip that receives generous laugh…

"I must say… There are a lot of royals, and this is being honest." Twilight comments, while looking upon the snowy owlet that is playing with the owlish baby food that her Ambalan counterpart had given her instead of eating it.

"Not as many as you think, dear." Strix chimes in, once placing her glass of dinner wine down, "There are only seven royal families, and some of them have been possibly eradicated and close to eradication as the Pure Ones had kept going. There have been these seven families, Arias of Kuneer, Charid of Tyto, Perrin of Silverveil, Kin of Ambala, Nyctea of Ga'Hoole, Schana of North and then the Cyorts of Middle. There is only four of them active today, Nyctea, Schana, Perrin and Kin."

"You certainly know your royal history, Strix." Gylfie complements with somewhat admiration of how much she does know about the royals of their kingdoms.

"Why thank you." Strix replies with a polite nod of her head, "It seems only fitting when I am an honorary aunt of the monarch's son to know every family, every ally and every detail to be known."

"If I may say something, how nice is it to have just a little dinner party of our own once in a while." Autumn says, as she rises a little higher to be noticed by the group for more than just being a dwarf of an owl, "I am happy that you all had decided to come, as I consider you lot as my Inner Circle of sorts and I thank you for your attendance."

"Hey, as I say, good friends and good food is all I need for a good time." Digger remarks, much to the amusement of the others, as it is expected that Digger would always say something that had to do with food

"Well, with all due seriousness… Autumn and I would like to make an announcement of sorts, an official one and as you all are our Inner Circle, it's only customary that you get to hear the news before anyone else." Ezylryb says, finally speaking for the first time in this convocation, while wrapping his wing around his wife affectionately, "I'm sure you've heard the rumours and the whispers about the tree for the moment and well… I guess that it's time to clarify on them."

"Very right, dear." The small spotted owl nods, "In the same blessed tidings that had brought this charming angel into my haphazard life and made me realise what love was… well… Now we're happy to announce that-"

"Prince Ezylryb, Princess Autumn!" A messenger calls, bursting into the hollow with such ferocity to interrupt the little spotted owl as she speaks, "A thousand pardons for the intrusion, milord, milady, however the parliament has been called urgently as The North has been attacked, by the Pure Ones!"

"Say it not so!" Strix Struma exclaims rising in reaction, the first to react with horror to the announcement

"Autumn!" Ezylryb is the next to shout, as his wife falls limply in his wings from the shock of the announcement

"Is there any word on Queen Lydea that you know of?" Soren asks, out of general questioning

The messenger shakes his head, "Not to our knowledge."

"Oh no… Of all the fates to befall anyone it had to be poor Lydea when she and her kingdom have suffered enough by the claws of the Pure Ones…" Autumn panics, raising her wing to her beak, "Oh please no they'll be here next! I think I'm going to faint…"

"Calm down, my princess… Stress isn't good for you and neither would it be for you right now." Ezylryb calmly and quietly says to his mate, who all but begins to hyperventilate as he supports her in his wings, "Go and attend parliament… I'm going to have to stay here with Autumn so…"

"I'll watch Autumn and the young princess, all of you get to parliament as the very fate of The North could depend on it!" Pellimore orders, rising her voice higher than the others who all but seem to be yelling and hollering, "Don't just stand there like stunned mullets, go, it's a crisis."

Pellimore all but heads over and is reluctantly handed the weakened princess who is continuing to panic as everyone begins to head off as the party has come to this abrupt ending in the light of the news that they have been broken. It could appear as though that they are following orders of a Guardian who is still in Training Stage, however she was right as the very fate of the North could be hanging in the balance if they don't act. As soon as they leave and the room becomes quiet again, with the hyperventilating of the princess the only thing audible aside from the cooing and noise that Sina is making as she remains naïve to the announcement that has been made that her mother's kingdom could be at stake.

"It's going to be okay… Come on." Pellimore calmly says, as she then helps the small spotted owl to her feet, "Calm down, here I'll help you to your bed as I think that it's going to be okay. The Pure Ones wouldn't be foolish to come here. I'm sure that everything is fine and there is nothing to worry about."

"Thank you, lass…" Autumn says, before being placed in bed, her breathing become a little more regulated to normal, "But I can hope that everything is okay."

* * *

While the Parliamentarians rush to gather in the light of the news they have dealt. Knowing that it may concern them, the Band follow their ryb friends, Ezylryb and Strix Struma into the chamber, as soon as they open the doors a wave of chatter and discussion is amongst the members erupts from behind the doors. The sound is almost literally blasted at them as they enter and sooner take their place and as soon as they do take their place, their eyes are not attracted to the convocation, but rather to the middle of the room. They look down as the husband of the Northern Queen, the son of the Monarchs, Prince Josh, paces back and forth with much worry just from the pacing and not to mention the look he has plastered across his face, which is before he looks up.

"Who is watching my daughter?" Josh enquires, the question directed to Ezylryb

"She is with my girlfriend." Soren answers instead

Josh continues to pace as the Monarchs enter the chamber and then take their places at the head of the Parliament. The snowy owls all but then look down with distain as their son is pacing, as it is a sign of being troubled, naturally, but one of agitation and confusion and general… loss.

"Josh, sit down." Barran says to her son

"Those bastards attacked my wife and her kingdom and she has gone AWOL and… Since when will I sit down?!" Josh responds sharply, stopping in his tracks to do so.

"Sit down this instant!" Boron orders with a growl and a sharp glare of disapproval, "And you will not speak to your mother that way as you're not too old to get flogged and I'd give you such a walloping boy, I'll tell you now."

The rest of the parliament are slightly in shock of the outburst as the prince takes a place beside his mother in the absence of Autumn. Boron all but shakes it off and composes himself while the room remains silent. Most of the older parliamentarians have known Boron to be a strict parent when he has to be, as well as a light-hearted one. However, not in the manor of which he has just done and threatening to smack his twenty-year-old son and heir for mouthing off at his mother when he has all but just found out that his wife's life and kingdom could be in the unknown. –But it has been a hard week, to say the least.

"In light of the crisis…" Boron then says, now calmed down to the professionalism his title has given him again, "…Parliament has been called this urgently and it is good that most of you could come in this short notice. Now as we have received, the North has been attacked and possibly conquered by the Pure Ones and the Queen of the North, my daughter in law, Lydea Schana, is missing along with their general and some other members of command."

"We must send out a call of arms!" One of the members of the parliament pipes up

"Now we must have-" Boron says

"Are you mad? Rushing blindly into a war isn't going to help anyone no less help the North!" Strix Struma then adds her input

"Are you kidding? How could we not take action when the North has suffered enough over those eighteen years of Pure One Rule." A female member of the Parliament conquers with the first speaker

"…To settle this in…" Boron says, trying to get a word in as he is getting more annoyed with these constant interruption

"Strix is right, we have to think this through!" Gylfie shouts, taking the side of the more logical argument, "What if the Queen was taken hostage? If we rush madly into the North she could get killed!"

"…A civil manor. Order in the Parliament!" Boron yells, bringing a hush to the room once again as he bangs the gavel, "Order I say, arguing isn't going to get us anywhere."

Suddenly the doors open as Boron finishes to speak and a messenger rushes in, and without much time to say anything, hands a scroll to the King. That if before they do bow with respect and then decide to leave the chambers. Boron notes that the scroll has the insignia of the Northern Army on it, opens it, and begins to read, sounding out some of the words before falling silent with shock. Barran reads over her husband's shoulder and she is taken much by the words of the communique that she suddenly faints with shock, falling off the back of the perch with her husband or even Josh barely any time to react to stop her from falling and the king dropping the scroll in the process of his almost immediate reaction. Strix rushes over to see if her friend is okay, along with Ezylryb, Madame Plonk and some other members of the parliament and Josh already on the scene, looks up to his father with a concerned look.

"Dad, what is it?" Josh asks

Boron closes his eyes and breathes a breath, "Parliament is dismissed…"

"But, dad…" The son utters as tries to get a word in

"Strix, Madame Plonk, help Barran back to her chamber." The king distantly orders before looking to his son, "Help your mother back to the Hollows, Josh."

"What happened, Dad? Tell me what happened!" Josh demands in a shout, standing his ground, "This whole thing involves my wife and I am not a little kid anymore dad! I am twenty years old and going to be king someday and I can't be protected from all this anymore. I'm not afraid!"

"I'm just trying to protect you…" Boron says, facing his son for just a moment before picking up the scroll and beginning to walk away, "Now help your mother."

"But-" Josh tries to interjects

Boron gets to the doors before turning back, "Just do as I say! Please…"

As the king leaves, Josh looks on with much worry for his father before looking to his mother as is weakly is being supported by the two women. He all but sighs, as he knows where he is needed and where he is not and then goes to open the doors for them as they escort his mother home. Soren all but looks down on this whole matter with the same sort of look as Josh, but that of confusion more than just worry. There have been whispers in the tree about the king more than there has been for a certain other rumour, and Soren can only make of it one thing: Something is bothering the King and causing unnecessary tensions within the kingdom… and within the Royal Family itself.

* * *

The Snowflake Palace, at the early morning of when the first streams of light are beginning to come down upon the tundra lands, however instead of this light gracing of that of peace… There has been much the opposite taking place. A set of bloodied battle clawed talons is walking past the dead whose blood stains the surface of the tundra's snow and lifeless, blank and somewhat disturbing to the overlooker, expressions are that of somewhat discerning for their last moments. This owl is observing the collateral damage taken, as most of these weren't just the Northern soldiers who threw themselves at his forces for "Queen and country", owls who whose sacrifice would be of that of both patriotism as well as in the line of duty for protecting their beloved queen. However, aside from these monarchist murders that lie on the cold hard ground, there is some of his owls lying here and from this rough count, it's at least twenty in the courtyard alone. No matter, they have an eight-hundred strong army none the less and there is usually some collateral from the combat.

Alexander stands amongst this mess of deceased as he holds one last soldier who is pleading for mercy with what little breath they have as their throat is being crushed… That is before Alexander with a foul swoop makes a deep cut across their neck with his dagger, ending their life most foul and with the head nearly coming off as well… The traitor all but being pleased for the turn out, especially seeing the one thing that wouldn't be a rebellion without: blood and death. –And yet, he is quite a strange owl this tundra traitor and some do as question his sanity as much as they did the owl he served under before his arrest.

Alexander then turns to Kludd as he approaches, "Tonight begins a renaissance for the Pure One North."

"Was it easy last time?" Kludd asks, while looking to the freshly slain soldier of the North, "…To kill their soldiers, to overrun their government. Was it easier than it was that night two decades ago?"

"Well, last time we had the Guardians who had to come and ruin the fun and to have one of their own rescue Lydea Schana when she was no more a hatchling than a princess…" The snowy owl contemplates, thinking hard on this question, while looking to the top of the palace as the Schana flag is pulled down, "And like that night…"

A new flag is raised, the Bloody Snowflake being raised high above the castle and the banners being replaced from those of the Schana emblem and otherwise being beautifully embroidered on them in dazzling shades of blue from sky to sapphire… To those of the near blood red colour of the Pure One banners and Alexander all but looks up to the flag flying high above with a sense of pride, while also retaining that of disappointment.

_"__And like that night, Lord Canner, she had escaped, but not as that little princess… But rather as a queen… Their beloved Queen of the North. The real game has begun Kludd, and I must say that it is a warm welcome to the Tundra… The Pure One Tundra!"_

* * *

Waves from the Everwinter Sea crash against the high cliffs of the high South Eastern lands that is still a part of the mainland of the Northern Kingdoms. A long while away from the new Schana Palace which is nestled in the higher lands of the lower mountains, which is for the least a flight and a half of two hours between there and this place here. As the wounded and the broken, the surviving and the palace staff are making their way here... It seems to be the only place, which can be safe in this entire North, as not even the Pure Ones know where they are. This is perfect as among those who have been brought here over the course of this morning, one of them is the most important of them all.

General Taw all but sits patiently to the side of the wing of this chamber along with the few of the attendants that managed to get out of the palace, or at least get here as safe as they can in the madness of this morning, all but remaining silent with his head hung with much sadness. As he wouldn't know what to say to _her_. He then looks up once again as the doctor finishes with cleaning the wound, and begins to wrap bandages around it, all while she remains in an almost comatose state.

The events went so quickly it was all but sudden. The Queen had gotten herself into a predicament, fighting against one of those dastardly Pure Ones and after managing to fight one of them off… Taw could only try to get a word in when one suddenly hit her from behind and sent her against her own desk, leaving that quite nasty gash on her head. Taw had managed to get her out of the palace, barely, as there was one owl who commanded their men to 'Get the Queen' and 'Get her so I can get her head' as they shouted. She has been out for hours, well especially as the General carried her lifeless body to this place she was fading in and out before finally going out. She is alive, breathing normally and her heartbeat as strong as the Goddess Nya's blood that courses through her veins.

The doctor then finishes applying the medical aid that the queen, bowing to her with respect even if she is out like a light before nodding respectfully to the General who then nods back as a sign that they are dismissed. One of the ladies opens the door for them as it all but still remains silent in the room, nothing more than talons and the door opening and shutting being heard aside from Queen Lydea's breathing. Taw looks on her now, the bandage across her forehead with a large part over the main region of where she was hurt the most, above her right eye. It didn't bleed that much, especially as it was slightly healed by the time the Queen got here, as she had been gifted with that power as she is of Nya's blood, but the process has been interrupted due to her incapacitation.

Taw doesn't understand how this could happen when it was nine hundred Pure Ones just about against at least 1100 of their own at the palace to protect their queen. Not to mention half of that at the Bellmore Base that has now been overrun by the Pure Ones and most of their personnel taken down a peg or too, with at least enough causalities to mean that this was not just Lord Metalbeak's own doing as his army has never been that strong ever. -Not just before the Secondary Siege disaster that took them down a peg either.

Suddenly, Lydea begins to twitch, taking the owls in the room by surprise as she begins to awake. She slowly opens her eyes, blinking twice before noticing the difference in surrounding… And then in a foul swoop, the events all flash back, all of them before her knock out.

"No…" Lydea gasps, her wing to her mouth as tears come to her eyes, "No! No… Taw… Say it not so? Please tell me that… Tell me that…"

"You are at the King Arin Royal Northern Military Base, your grace… On the coast of the Everwinter Sea." Taw replies, before bowing his head with sadness, "Lydea… The Pure Ones have taken control of the North once again. The Bloody Snowflake, a very insult to your family's crest, now flies above Snowflake Palace, above Bellmore also…"

"No…" The queen utters, blinking back tears

"I have notified the Guardians of your current condition, of the current situation." The general then comes to inform her, "They will be swift to come, they will so be swift to act as your husband, the Prince is residing there for the moment with your daughter, her young majesty the Princess of North."

"It will be not the Guardians who will come to us, Lord Taw…" Lydea speaks up with some hope in her voice, wiping away her tears that flow down her face

"Come again?" He asks

"It will not be the Guardians who will come to our aid…" The queen repeats, looking up to her general, her Schana blue eyes having a slight glimmer of hope in them, "It will be Alexander's son… He and warriors… Warriors Noble and True who will come to our aid. …And they will be coming soon, General. They will."

_"__As they are our only hope…_"


	7. Chapter 7: In the Wake of the Fall

Chapter 7: In the Wake of the fall

Early evening, a little before nine at night, when the day's events are already underway… However, since the news last morning time, it has become but a disruption to the routine, a disruption entirely to the running of the Tree. Since the parliament last night, Soren had a strange dream that had all but made no sense… He only briefly had it, before he woke up before dawn with much of a headache from stress. –Now, the only time he would get a stress headache would be when chaw duties would wear him out, or just from every time the dinner table would get close to a row… On the other hand, on those mornings, he would think of his brother could give him a headache. This time it had nothing to do with his duties, or to do with his occasional –Occasional now as since he had turned 18 not that long ago he moving out… Well it has calmed down a bit the problem that his father is having when it comes to Kludd- fights he has with his father he has during Sunday morning dinner as a family, and not to do with Kludd as he just hasn't thought of him lately.

Soren sits outside against the trunk of this part of the tree outside his hollow… Just contemplating while watching the snowflakes fall and the sea that surrounds the tree, the Sea of Hoolemere, just rise and fall with the currents and the waves crashing against the tree. Most evenings he likes to sit outside and think, though it would be much earlier than this at, and on those most strange of times, would be at ridiculous times of the afternoon.

"You're going to get sick from sitting out here too long. Feathers or not… It's still bloody cold."

Soren looks up as his girlfriend looks down at him with a bemused look, as she then holds a scarf in her claw. Getting the notion, he takes the scarf and places it on around his neck, for the least making his slightly maternally protective –that is mostly at the moment when it comes to winter and being 'underdressed for snowy weather' she disapproves of he calls 'winter worrying'- girlfriend happy. He all but continues to stare out on the view, Pellimore coming beside her troubled boyfriend as they may have only been together for five months, but they have learnt to understand each other and know when something is troubling the other.

"What's up?" Pellimore asks her boyfriend, placing a wing on his shoulder, "You're sitting out here again and you only do that when something upsets you."

"Oh it's nothing… I'm fine, Pelli, just had trouble sleeping last evening." Soren replies, the least bit lying on his part and telling a half-truth, "So you spent time with Autumn last morning? Is she okay? I have heard that some of her panic attacks get bad… Even to the point where she has fainted on most occasions."

"Fine, actually. She at one point fell asleep actually. I did what I was told: I got her to lie down, relax and rinsed a cloth for her head… It actually was effective I have to say." She recounts, as she had ended up taking the charge of the moment last morning when they heard the news about the North and she ended up staying behind, "I did what I could to help take care of her and the young princess and anything else that needed to be done. Since after hearing how close she is to the Queen of the North and all the stories she had told… I can only hope that she is okay, Queen Lydea."

"Yes… I can bet the whole tree would hope so too." He nods, agreeing there seeing how much the owls in this kingdom adore the royal family, and would too share the same admiration for the Queen of the North that Autumn shares, "It was good of you to keep Autumn in check, since she does panic badly…"

"It was nothing really." Pellimore says with a bit of a carefree wave of her wing, "She's actually a very nice lady really and she's very smart actually if she knows at best two different languages."

"She is, she is indeed actually. I must say that Madame Autumn is the kindest and loveliest owl I've ever met…" Soren nods, agreeing with his girlfriend there, "After you that is, as there has been really no one else that could be sweeter than you. And…"

"And what?" She enquires, as he goes silent all of a sudden, "What is it do you want to say?"

"Well, Pelli, I-"

"Soren!" Three voices suddenly ring out

They look in the direction of those voices and out of nowhere Gylfie, Digger and Twilight, plus one of the Royal Guards come flying rapidly toward them. They land rapidly before the three other members of The Band all but start to pant with exhaustion as if they're about to faint from it, Twilight even leaning on the part of the tree trunk to show how much effort has gone into getting here, fast. Without even knowing it, it must be something urgent by the looks of how fast they had come, how their voices had sounded as they sound rushed, sounding with much importance in it, and by the looks on their faces… something must be wrong, most definitely and not just that they're quite fatigued.

"What's going on? What happened?" Soren rapidly asks, as something must be wrong here if they, being some pretty top-notch fliers since graduating Learning Stage in February, and even before that he knew Gylfie was all but a great flier in their escape a year and a half ago for her size, all had gotten fatigued badly…

"Crisis! Crisis…" Gylfie breathes, leaning on her boyfriend while trying to catch her breath, "That… That owl there will better explain… You, Royal Guard… Explain... Explain what you told us about five minutes ago… It's really urgent and… yeah…"

"The Queen has summoned you, urgently, to the parliament chamber." The Royal Guard elaborates; making sense of Gylfie's somewhat panted word, no less the ramblings she had said before

* * *

Up in the currently, and to them hopefully forever on, Pure One occupied Northern Kingdoms, Kludd follows Alexander through the flurries of snow that have picked up over the morning. One thing that Kludd never really counted on… the weather in the North being so… bizarrely strange, but there is one commonality, it is always cold and not just during the sharpness of the Northern season of winter, which can be from six to eight months for the least of it. –And he thought it was bad down in the South.

"How much fervour until we get there?" Kludd asks his otherwise guide

"Not much." Alexander replies, turning his head back to look at the Barn Owl "Is it the first time you have come to the North, milord?"

"I never imagined Nyra's homelands like this. Granted I only thought they were cold and covered in snow from all I knew and of all that Nyra had ever told me, but still not like this." The otherwise Tyto lord, sovereign and conqueror of these Northern Kingdoms, "I'd dare not take off my helm as I think even my wings could get stuck to them for how cold it is."

"The North has always been cold, Kludd. Been that way since, as they say, when the first Schana Queen, the Goddess of Snow, Goddess Queen Nya was born." The snowy owl General of the Pure One North replies, thinking back on what legend describes is the beginning of the Northern Tundra.

"It's still bloody cold, regardless." Kludd grumbles, for the sake of it unimpressed for how the weather can be, "And here I don't know how owls like you can be used to it."

The two owls, plus their entourage of guards of course, land outside the opened and otherwise never been closed since the fall, gates of a castle in the snow. Kludd then looks forward as they enter through those gates to see a palace, a stone palace that the Pure Ones inhabited up until two years ago. It seems well maintained, funny that, since you would expect that it would end up demolished a long while ago when the Schana and her forces came back into power, but it is quite the opposite.. Aside from their banners being trashed and torn as all hagsmire and the flag all but ending up the same way.

"Lydea didn't have it in her heart to destroy this place. Heck, her council ended up making it some sort of like one of those places where it could 'be a part of their history' and all that nonsense." Alexander mentions, walking ahead of his commander who absently looks around while following, "Nyra lived up here, with little Elanore around for a couple of course as I first met that young lass when she was nine. Nyra lived up here during a few of those years, nearly four of them to be exact. Metalbeak usually never came up here, he actually quite hated the cold aside from their marriage being a little on the rocks during those nights, and Nyra was always the one who had to fly the long way to St. Aegolius."

"No wonder Nyra is afraid of our marriage being like that…" Kludd mutters, thinking hard about It and realising that she has always but asked if he loves her more than several times, and now he knows all but why, she's afraid of it happening again, "So this place was a former Schana Palace before we overtook it long ago…"

Kludd all but contemplates as he is taking a tour of Compound. Seeing all the damages done first hand even when it has been this long after their initial defeat it comes as hard to picture this place in its glory days, especially for how much ruin there is. They may have made sure that it is remains unburied in the snow, cleaned up the bodies for the least, but most of the interior is as wrecked as the night it had been abandoned in defeat. Furniture is in pieces, banners torn and tattered. As Kludd is being lead through these internally inflicted ruins… It is becoming even harder to imagine for every little bit more of internal destruction he comes across.

"Now Nyra had the whole of the North to rule back in the days of old, especially since when she came into it, we were eight years in already… And a few years later she would end up here, especially with that little girl of hers she cares of when she herself is first stationed here as a General." Alexander says, as they walk through the base

They then come to a set of doors and he then opens it to a chamber, one that can be all but reminiscent of his and Nyra's chamber they share in St. Aegolius, however… It is in much disarray. The portraits that hang, especially that of one of the few of last portraits that would be painted of her and her late first husband before is death in the room have large gaping holes in them. The curtains and decorative ones and tapestries torn and skewed across the floor are clothing garments, mostly scarves messily skewed across the floor and shattered glass from some of the window on the floor and arrows lodged in the walls.

The snowy owl then picks up one of the scarves, "This was Nyra's room, Kludd… Once the base came under fire and they had to escape, she and the ladies in waiting all but took the important things as well as the capes, crowns, jewellery, and anything else they could so carry before having to run and evacuate."

Kludd all but goes up to the defaced portrait and lifts a part of it to look at the portrait before taking it down with much respect intended and then placing it down and covering it, "Good, then we're already ready to have her here…"

Kludd and Alexander then exit the base through the same way they came as another group of owls lands. Kludd looks as his young general and a small entourage of two guards has arrived and nods in greeting, as she had all but been commanding the battlefield alongside him. The very idea Nyra was quite concerned on, as per every time when her girl is involved in the conflicts and campaign that they lead. -However, with her eye for detail and her honed skills she has learnt over the last six years, she has all but become that of a brilliant strategist and warrior for their side, explaining why Kludd needed her with the Northern counterpart for to pull of that could have been an impossible feat.

"What are your orders?" Elanore asks

"I want Nyra to come here…" Kludd announces, looking to the young woman, "…To rule beside me in our new kingdom."

* * *

Soren and his friends, after they had somewhat caught their breath, are flying through the tree as fast as they can before landing and running down the twists and turns that are taken until they get to the parliament and force the doors open with urgency. They then stop and stare as in the middle of the room, Barran stands with Autumn under her wing crying and holding a note and they then rush over as Autumn notices them and crashes into Soren, leaving him with little time to react to the little owl's sudden movement.

"Oh Soren!" Autumn wails, clinging to Soren tightly

Soren hugs the little owl back, before kneeling down a bit to look at her properly, "What happened, Princess?"

"Read the note. I can't find the words in either language to explain it…" Autumn softly instructs before continuing her sobbing and being pulled close to Barran again, the queen for the least remaining unusually calm about this while she comforts the princess.

_"__To my wife, Barran and to Princess Autumn_

_Since last morning, the scroll said it all, a terrible burden has returned to my life and I cannot hide from it anymore. Not when my daughter in law who means well in her judgement is in jeopardy when it is all my fault that I didn't do anything, at least just something sooner to prevent this. For I have made the decision now… Therefore, I, Boron of the Royal House of Nyctea, King of the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole and of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, announce my leave and Queen Barran of the Royal House of Nyctea, Queen of the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole and of the Guardians and the Lady of House Lynai, is Queen Regent of Ga'Hoole until I return. It is with a heavy heart that I announce this and that I am taking with me taking my closest advisor with me, his highness, Prince Ezylryb of Ambala, Lord of House Cress, Lord Commander of Ga'Hoole and heir to Ambala's throne with me. I then appoint Princess Autumn of Ambala, Princess of Ambala, heir apparent to the Ambala throne, Hand of the Queen and Deputy Commander of Ga'Hoole, with Lady Strix Struma, Vice-General for the Guardians and Lady High Prefect of Ga'Hoole, the duties as the Lady Commander of Ga'Hoole during this time. We are going to go and defeat this menace… In addition, to kill Alexander before it is too late._

_I must apologise beforehand, to my wife, my son and to the Princess of Ambala… As with a heavy heart I make this decision, however I must do what I have to and I promise that this won't take too long… In addition, to Autumn, I promise to bring Ezylryb home safely, as I know all but too well that I owe this to you. I can only hope that you will be fine and be well until we both return and you may punish me to the extent you can for if I break my promise as true it not I don't want to leave you, no less my wife a widow if the worst shall happen… I hope to be home soon and will rid this world of this demon and free the Northern Kingdoms._

_Good night, good day and I hope to see you again and sincerely yours,_

_King Boron of Ga'Hoole"_

"Who is-?" Soren is about to ask, as he passes the note along to Gylfie

The Parliament doors burst open from the side entrance and Josh is behind them and has the same distressed expression as when he was in the parliament in the previous night. Except it has elements of distain and somewhat anger, if he may have heard, depending if Barran would have told him by now or not, he has more than just his wife and her kingdom to worry about this night.

"Is it true, mum?" Josh asks as he comes into the room, "Is it true or is it not that my father, the king of the whole bloody tree has gone AWOL."

Barran hangs her head, "Yes, Josh… He left long before I got up this evening."

"What in the name of Glaux was that bastard thinking?!" Josh exclaims suddenly, throwing his wings in the air, "And why did Ezylryb go with that bastard, too?"

"Your father is not a bastard!" Barran shouts at her son

"Mum, why would dad leave without taking up arms then?" Josh says as he otherwise stressing out as he meanders around the room, "Why would he leave even without any guards then when Alexander a psychopath and he is that could kill anyone or anything that stands in his way and he will kill dad, mum, he'll kill him because of what he did."

"Hey, who is Alexander?" Gylfie interjects, intervening between the heated convocation while passing the note on herself, "Seriously, who is he, your highnesses?"

"My grandfather and her…" Josh says, before pointing to his mother with a point of his talons, "…Father in law and the king's father and a disgrace to our family name! He killed nearly everyone within the Aristocracy on the night of The Northern Coup and even after that and he nearly killed my wife last morning."

"There is no reason you have to snap an answer at the lass." His mother sternly replies with a displeased look

"Oh yeah, sure, then I have to ask you something, mother. Why didn't you stop dad from leaving, mum? Why didn't you stop him from dragging Ezylryb with him into a war zone when-?"" Josh retorts

"Enough!" Gylfie shouts, interrupting the argument and doing what someone should have done a sentence ago, "All of this yelling isn't helping anyone, and you're making the Princess cry by talking about all of this. Death isn't exactly a great thing to mention when comforting someone."

"I don't want to lose my beloved Lyze…" Autumn mutters, before bursting into tears again, her wings against her face

"Aw, cheer up Autumn, it's gunna be okay." Digger says, for the least trying to console and comfort as best he can, "Ezylryb's like the best fighter ever and like some damn Pure One is gunna get into his way when he's Lyze of Kiel. It's not like this mean old Alexander guy will end up capturing him and then decapitating-"

Autumn starts to cry harder and Gylfie shoots a sharp glare at him as he has just done something he clearly should not of that she had said not to do, mention death when comforting someone, especially in this circumstance. Barran all but holds her dear friend closer and starts comforting her like a child as Digger ends up getting a deserved wack on the back of the head from Twilight.

"Are you kidding me? This is what the Parliament has invested their trust into, some kids that could have only winged all of their missions." Josh negatively scowls, after seeing the scene they have just caused, "How are you supposed to be bloody heroes when you are terrible at comforting, as per example shown here by your incoherent Burrowing Owl friend."

"Who are you calling 'some kids', you pompous prick!" Twilight responds in uproar, "You have a lot of arrogance, boy, as we've been in more life threatening situations than you ever would be on just _one_ mission when you disobeyed your own father no less and weren't even a Guardian."

"I'm not arrogant, you uncultured hack! I have had more training in one of my talons than any of you will _ever_ have in your one and a half years as Guardians when I have been born _and raised_ as a Guardian my whole life!" Josh sharply retorts

"Josh, Twilight, both of you quit fighting this instant!" Barran shouts, while trying to comfort the crying little spotted owl, "Both of you stop this very instant!"

"Digger, what did I just say about not mentioning death when comforting someone?" Gylfie then chimes in to the pandemonium, looking sternly at her boyfriend, "You don't mention death when comforting someone; it's quite literally a faux pas!"

"Well sorry if I was trying to help, Gylfie. I may not be the sharpest tool in the tool thingy, but I am trying, okay. I'm doing the best I bloody can!" Digger replies defensively

"ENOUGH! Shut the hagsmire up for five minutes!"

Everyone stops suddenly as they all then look to the source of the noise, which is standing there panting, panting and having enough of all of this nonsense. It is bad enough that for nearly a whole year he has been having to put up with his father all but orchestrating tensions between him and he and his mother, but he is not about to have this group of owls from commanders and rybs to simple Guardians like them, The Band. The only other thing audible in the room is the soft whimpers of Princess Autumn, but her noise is justified as this is quite a difficult moment for her.

"Here's the thing, King Boron and Ezylryb have gone AWOL and left to go up into the North while there has been recent unrest an owl named Alexander comes into this as Boron clearly wants him dead, even for if he is, as Josh said, his own father." Soren says, gaining all eyes forward to him as he composes himself to speak, "If we want to do something about it, we best be on it. Glaumora forbid Josh will have to be king at twenty, his mother a widow and Autumn a widow in a marriage that has only been for five months long after those eight years she spent waiting and we will be losing a king and also a beloved and insightful ryb. So we may as well get along for five minutes and prevent the worst from happening. We'll need a guide to the North."

He then looks to the snowy owl, "Josh, we need your help and you'll need ours as your father and your wife are in the middle of this. I salute Moon Group for all you had done in restoring the Northern monarchy, but as one group leader to another, we have to join forces and put negativity aside for a greater purpose."

"Since when has it been your responsibility to deal with every little problem in the Owl Kingdoms, especially those which have to do with the Pure Ones?" Josh coldly grumbles

"It's not, but we rather to be the ones first on the scene instead of a whole battalion of Guardians to be sent in and get killed." Soren then replies

The snowy owl shoots him a look, "So you're expendable."

"Yeah, sure we are." Soren says with a sarcastic roll of his eyes, "You know, if you're as smart as everyone reckons you are then you'll know the right thing to do."

Josh then suddenly storms off, taking off in a fit of mixed emotions as he throws open the doors on his way out and then slams them shut. His mother looks off to his direction with a worried glance, as he never takes anything well. The last time he had stormed off like this was a long while ago, that memory all but fresh on her mind as her son storms away, and now with this news… She can only hope that Josh does know what to do.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Soren." Barran says to him, now looking at the Barn Owl

"I hope so too…" Soren replies, trying to save face, "You should chase up your son, Goddess."

Barran nods to the young ally of hers, as well as the others, especially for using her true title as he is all but another of owls who knows her identity from that is all but different from her mortal one and a sign of it all is dismissed. She then gives one last hug to Autumn, as a sign that she would all but wish her well in this turbulent time, before leaving without another word. Soren then approaches his mentor's wife as she is wiping her eyes, taking her wing before they have another hug. It is sad seeing a usually jovial and happy woman now drawn to tears over something that was for the least out of her control as duty sometimes is something that is a little… conflicting to say the least as it has indeed come before family in two cases.

"You have no need to worry, as if we both know Ezylryb as we do, he will be fine." Soren says, this time properly comforting the woman

"I hope so, Soren." Autumn replies, while remaining slightly calm with a few tears all but trickling down, "The North is more dangerous now than it was twenty years ago."

Soren then looks to his three friends, "I'll escort her home…"

"Well I have Navigation Chaw duties and Digger has some training scheduled, so we'll be there most of the evening. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Gylfie says, trying to be the least bit caring like the others

"I think I'll be fine, thank you. All of you." Autumn quietly replies, taking a deep breath

Soren and Autumn then decide to take leave and the boy opening the door for the princess as she all but sniffles and softly tears up as she walks away. The three of them look on and even Twilight is taken with empathy over the sadness that the poor girl is feeling, as a doting wife would have and after they have heard and seen how much they care about each other… It would be more than she could deal with if she is left a widow. They then all part their ways, knowing that it may be a crisis, but the tree does not slow in its pace, even if they want it to.

* * *

At the base in the Northern Kingdoms on a self-exploration of the place that will be his headquarters and otherwise palace, Kludd comes into a large chamber. For the least to say that like most of the interior of the base, it is in ruin and the throne at the head of it knocked over. The portraits and the banners on the walls as torn as others he has seen thought the place, but the only things that are for the least bit normal in this room is the windows and the columns that line the room and indeed the walls.

"So I take it that this is the throne room?" Kludd asks, while looking at the damages to the room, _"If I intend on staying here than this room will be fixed too, just like the Queen's Chamber. Glaux, I have a reputation to uphold… As it is what kings should at least have, right? I just cannot have a throne room in ruin… Hagsmire, it looks like a cyclone came through it. And I want Nyra to feel at home before she arrives and indeed before she will ever wander these grounds."_

The doors open again as his tour guide of the palace and the informant behind this conquering of the North through his efforts, Alexander, enters before a bow of respect to Kludd… Who seems too busy to notice the respects being paid to him as he inspects the damage done.

"This is shaping up well…" Kludd briefly mentions

"I do have some bad news, milord..." Alexander grimly says, Kludd suddenly turning around in reaction to it, "Your plans of making the palace look spiffy before Nyra gets here may be cut short, as your wife is about to arrive as we speak."

"Well the room should be prepared, yes?" The Barn Owl then asks as he walks past

"The whole room cleaned and tidy and the windows patched with whatever wood we could find in the palace's catacombs." The snowy owl reports, before following the High Tyto as they leave this chamber

Kludd walks through the palace as his soldiers are already onto what he had ordered them to do. He had ordered them, persuading to say the least, to pitch in and clean up Compound for the sake of it being their palace in the north and being the beacon of the Pure One Empire to have a glorious palace as their command. It could be stretching it, especially as most of them would disapprove of ending up having to clean up stuff that the lazy Schana Queen could have taken care of anytime. –However, judging from how bad her calls can be through their eyes, consider it just another aspect as to why her dynasty deserves to decimation.

Standing outside in the snow and looking up over the palace that she had spent some of her worst of nights and days and years here… She is all but blank, unresponsive and generally frozen by means of not the cold she would have grown up with before spending half of her life in the South. Elanore stands beside the white barn owl and she takes her wing as they both stare upon the palace with mixed feelings. They remember the bloody night of nights when they had to leave, Nyra was dragging Elanore by the wing through nearly dislocating it just to get her and get the things they needed before they would leave in a conceited defeat that would be the first of Metalbeak's last campaigns to fall before his untimely defeat…

Kludd then comes out of the main doors as she stands there blankly while Elanore attempts a haphazard curtsey as best she can in the winter's cold. Especially as they had been flying a long while, as Nyra had not been as far as St. Aegolius, she actually was at the southernmost point of the North in hiding until either her husband was victorious in his plight… or ended up having it blow up in his face like the first Rosewood campaign.

"I _hated_ being here…" Nyra mutters with much disgust

"Those memories will mean absolutely nothing now…" Kludd says walking over and taking her under his wing, "As this time you're not going to be of exile here, but rather rule beside me. Sure, it is quite cold, but… I don't give a damn as this morning begins a new era for the Pure Ones as we have taken the North again."

"Kludd, as much as I congratulate you on this victory… I just do not want to be _here_ and pardon my obvious cantankerousness from flying through all of this and having to bear it most of the last few nights but… We have to be here?" She otherwise complains

"Oh nonsense, you'll get warmed up to this place in no time, and I don't mean by sitting in front of fire." He says, the very notion of laughing at his own jokes worrying some, especially his wife who gives him a look, "Oh don't give me that look… I'm just quite contempt."

"Sure, sure…" Nyra says, as she then takes a breath and walks over to the entrance of the castle with an exhale, "Just don't leave me here, I'm serious. I don't want to be here by myself again."

"You won't, you won't and never will be." Kludd says as he walks over and joins her by her side, "I promise, I promise and like I would leave my wife up here with those scoundrels who support that lower-species mess they call their queen. And what kind of husband does that anyway…"

Without another word, he takes her under his wing again before looking back to Elanore and giving her a gesture that means that she has to get over here. She then rushes over before standing by her adoptive mother and the High Tyto as they enter the base… For the least of it aside from going inside what could be their new home, or at least a better one this time for a certain snow coloured Barn Owl, what they're all but really doing is escaping the cold winds that all but twists and turns throughout and across the tundra at the north of the Owl Kingdoms.

* * *

Early morning, a time when things are usually winding down for the night, but on this night it is nothing of the sort, rather quite the opposite from the way a certain Snowy Owl is thinking of it right now. She all but reads through the letter a seventeenth time this night, the letter her husband had left behind while this time holding a glass of wine in her claw and the bottle sitting nearby. –She promised herself that she would go easy on the wine, however when you are Queen Regent of a whole kingdom. All the while, your husband and soul mate has gone to deal with more than just a crisis, but rather deal with an internal one that he had been hiding for more than twenty years and taking your godfather and the husband of a family friend with them… It seems necessary to end up taking a glass or two, especially when you are all alone in a large, empty room in an even larger tree in the middle of a sea as wide as… it is she guesses.

She takes another sip before placing it down and before long chucking the letter across the room, as she really doesn't want to look at it anymore. With every time reading it, all but telling her that her darkest fears could come true soon, but it won't be her who is in the firing line for her duties as a Goddess. She then places her claw to her head for a moment…

_"__Every time I read that letter… It just keeps saying to me that if something shall happen. I don't know what he is doing, where he is going and what will he is doing, but it just sounds serious as he had taken my godfather up there. Of course, I wouldn't think it voluntary, but rather a duty of care as at least someone has to keep him sane for whatever little he has left in that suffering mind of his, my dear husband, Boron._

_For twenty years, this kingdom is with my husband as their leader, and it is a blessing among other things for the both of us and the owls of the Great Tree. We have ruled the tree though good times of when we had nothing to fear and it was relatively calm… Nothing threatened us at all and my Josh could run and play as he wished to do growing up. However, in the recent years, there has been little peace within the owl kingdoms now that the threat against us is becoming more real. We have had two sieges, two Rosewood takeovers and even the threat of Mordecai's darkness against me and against the owl kingdoms more than just in the Secondary Siege. –And As an Owl Goddess, seeing the mortals suffer… It is sometimes more than I can take emotionally, and when they are my own people that I safeguard here in this tree as their Queen and their monarch… No wonder I need my wine._

_We all seem to have our demons to bear… Mine being the burden of my existence as a Goddess of the Owl Gods, Boron with the burden of his father and the shame he hides on his conscious… Soren with the burden of his brother's identity of being the High Tyto of the Pure Ones, even my godfather has the bearings of a past that he is trying to move on from with Autumn, the little spotted owl orphan royal of Ambala who suffered abuse most her life all because of her deformity._

_And yet sometimes I-"_

A knock comes to the door and Barran looks slightly behind her as one of the servants poke their head in through the crack made between the doors.

"Your majesty, some of the members of Parliament wish to see you." The servant says

"Tell them that I, as Queen Regent, do not wish to see anyone at the moment." Barran orders, before drinking more of her wine, "So if anything, they should see the Princess of Ambala on whatever matter they want to ask about."

"They aren't wishing, milady, and they do not wish to see the princess because of her state of mind." The servant replies

"I don't want to see anyone!" Barran shouts, turning around rapidly, before falling back, "I don't want to see anyone..."

"But, your majesty-" The servant tries to say

"Move aside, you darn oaf this instant!" One of the rybs, Dewlap, orders, pushing the poor servant owl aside as she and some of the other members enter, before looking to the Queen Regent, "Are you crazy sending those owls and your only heir up the North, Barran?"

"You shouldn't be harsh on the queen." Bubo, the Tree's Blacksmith, interjects, as he enters following the Ga'Hoololigy ryb, before nodding with respect to their monarch, "It has been a hard night for all of us, no less for the Queen Regent and the Princess of Ambala too, when their highnesses have gone to the North that has fallen to the Pure Ones again. A contradictory comment isn't going to answer anything."

"Bubo is right." Madame Plonk conquers, herself entering the room too and curtseys, "We're not going to get answers by acting like children."

"How dare you all barge into my chamber, no, the Palace Hollows in general when I said..." Barran starts, before realising something, "Wait a moment, how the hagsmire did you find out about all of this when I didn't even release anything?"

"Well, we were going to ask why you had suddenly cancelled parliament when we saw that you were consoling the Princess and we ended up going to the upper balcony and saw the whole convocation and everything that happened." Strix Struma explains, as she enters the room herself

"I have to ask, why did you let this decision take place when we all know that Alexander-" Madame Plonk then begins again

"I know Alexander's capabilities, but this wasn't my decision... None of it was, none of any of this between my husband and then with The Band... But I trust them, and I trust their judgement." Barran then interjects, as she picks up the bottle of wine and tops up her glass, and turning away for a moment, her goddess eyeliner lighting up before it fades, "At least someone knows what they are doing, when I do not myself."

"It's simply too dangerous for a group like them to go to the North at a time like this." Dewlap contradicts, being on the opposing side of the argument while her comrades are either supportive or neutral, "Too dangerous for even when the Northern Army requests that-"

"The Northern Army, my fellow ryb, requests that they get backup, but I shall say that launching a full frontal assault, especially when we don't know anything about how many they have up there, is all but too risky." The queen corrects, silencing the opposing party, "The juniors were right, a small group, but not a full battalion..."

"If I may, your majesty-" Bubo then speaks

"My orders are final." Barran interrupts sternly, showing of her divine authority over the judgement, "And my orders for you lot are to leave the Palace this instant... and leave me alone..."

Barran turns away once again as the servant opens the door, all but saying that the matter is closed as they have to respectfully bow. Dewlap heads out first and the servant flinches as the ryb comes past, before composing themselves before Bubo and Madame Plonk leave also. Strix all but remains in her place and then looks back, nodding her head as a sign that she wants some privacy. The servant then leaves and closes the door, following the orders of the shared second in commander.

Strix slowly approaches her friend, "Barran, I know when you're upset... I hope they know what they are doing."

"You should have left me be, Strix... My powers become unstable when I am like this." Barran says, breathing a deep sigh and blinking rapidly

"We had to see you about this and... I had to see you in case you were going to lose control and start to blow the tree apart." The spotted owl replies, before stopping in her tracks, "I saw the Princess earlier when Soren was walking her home. I have seen Autumn so upset, so... nervous and just unhappy in all the years I have known her and this is when she has been so happy for a while now. If she was upset then..."

Barran breaks out crying, unable to hold it all back anymore, "I don't know what to do..."

Strix then holds Barran in a hug as the queen all but lets it all go, sobbing loudly that even the owls on the other side of the tree could hear it. It's not often that a mighty and powerful woman like their Queen and an Owl Goddess, as Strix does know the secret and has since a long time ago, would cry. Since she has to be the one who keeps the tree together, especially now that her husband has left it all to her.

"It's okay; it's going to be okay..." Strix consoles, patting her friend on the back as they hug, "You should let it all out before you overload."

The door slowly opens a little as behind it the son of the Queen Regent, the heir to the throne Prince Josh, looks in as he had heard the sobs from down the corridor. He sees the one sight he has always hated to see like any child would hate to see, their mother, especially that of his mother, Barran, who is a strong woman who he sees that is not afraid of anything, now in tears. He turns away from the sound; however, the sound of her sobs cannot are those that shall not ignored... He then sighs as he turns away and just wants to walk away, but one will hear all throughout the palace.

_"__If dad dies... I'll have to be king."_ Josh utters inwardly, _"And then what will we do? What will this kingdom do? ...What will mum do?"_


	8. Chapter 8: The Northward Bound

Chapter 8: The Northward Bound

A Cold early winter's night, the snow coming down and the Sea of Hoolemere a little unsettled to say the least of the matching feelings a snowy owl of only two decades old is feeling as he stands in the middle of City Centre. He stares off into the distance, all but staring at the surroundings as he waits. He decided the previous morning before this new night came that he had to do this, after thinking long and hard on a decision that he never thought he would have to make.

He hears wing beats behind him as they land, for even how quiet the flier can be, they can still be heard. Josh turns around as his sort of counterpart of sorts when it comes to team commanding, Soren, has landed behind him. The last time they spoke was that shoddy meeting in the parliament and he was given a proposition to join forces, but not even saying anything about it, Josh stormed out, having enough of all of it.

"Circumstances have changed." Josh says, breaking the still air and the silence between them

"It would be better having you with us, as I have heard of your gift." Soren replies, approaching slightly, knowing how delicate things are between them, "You know, my gift told me that we would both be standing here, but for the circumstance, I did not know then."

"I am only heading into a warzone as I love my mother more than anything I do." The Prince mentions, before looking to his counterpart, "Would it be the right thing? Putting my own life on the line, all for my mother's happiness and that she won't be a widow when my father and I aren't always on the best of terms."

"I can relate, as it's a predicament that you just only hope you're making the right decision for." The Barn Owl leader of The Band replies, "But from my dreams the divisions all but seem to get deeper..."

"So you have the Gift of Starsight then?" Josh enquires, deriving a conclusion, as his mind is quick on these things, "Tell me then, if I may query your gift, as you so choose my intellect, have you seen anything else your gift can tell you?"

"All I saw aside from my own telling is a bunch of Northern Guards fighting some Pure Ones... And that was two mornings before last." Soren replies with a shake of his head, "And yet... I was still shocked to hear the news when I already saw that brief... glimpse if you will."

Josh all but nods before turning back to gaze out on the horizon, breathing a sigh as their convocation suddenly ends. Soren all but would try to speak, but in his experience with members of the royal family and speaking to them, he would rather not try since they can tend to zone off. Especially Barran and from this he would at least derive that Josh would be indeed a demi-god of sorts and being as much her son as he is the next in line to the throne and his father's almost doppelganger, he'd rather leave them be until they want to speak with him.

He is suddenly taken by surprise as he then looks up and his girlfriend, Pellimore, comes flying down from near out of nowhere. She was maybe still half-asleep when he had started getting ready to leave, so from the crisp night air of the winter, she may have actually perked up a bit.

Pellimore suddenly wraps a scarf around Soren's neck, "If you're going up to the North in the middle of winter, you'd rather have a scarf on at all times. Feathers may insulate, but they are nothing when it comes to the worst a Northern Winter can throw."

"It's only a little cold, Pelli, it's nothing." Soren says, though awkwardly fumbling over his words

"That girlfriend of yours is right, Soren." Josh states, the prince turning around slightly to face the couple, "You'd rather rug up a bit there lad. The winter in the North is cold; enough to freeze a Southerner like all of us solid if we stood there long enough. Most days now are a little darker since it is around the time of The Darkest Night."

"I heard about that, actually." Pellimore says, once she has pinned the scarf around her boyfriend's neck, "It is a whole couple nights where the sun doesn't rise and it is the Darkest Night and it is said to have both theological and mythological meanings behind it. It is an event that most Northerners would celebrate the phenomena as per a tradition."

"Only amongst some, but correct none the less." The Hoolian prince nods

"Brace yourselves." Twilight says, suddenly landing to join the three owls already present

"About what?" Josh enquires

"I am _not_ wearing that!"

The eight eyes then turn as the main couple within The Band; Digger and Gylfie are on their way and are walking along and by the sounds of that yelling... It seems they have come into a little bit of a disagreement. However, if only they had a little more warning this time instead of a few second before they arrived, as Twilight and Soren all but know how bad an argument within the team gets when it is between the couple. –And Josh would have no clue on this at all.

"Honey, from what I have read about the North at this time of year during their second and maybe lengthiest season of all, it is way, way, way colder than when they went there last time during the Northern Summer." Gylfie states, following her boyfriend and arguing her side

"Gylfie, the bloody scarf is pink!" Digger exclaims, all but summing up his side of the argument they are having, before everyone all but looks to see that the elf owl is carrying a "pink" scarf when it is more magenta coloured, "I may have done some silly things. I may have worn some silly stuff and may have little to no table manners, but I _do not_ wear pink. That is where I do draw the line."

"It's not pink, it's magenta." The elf owl retorts, being matter-of-factly, "And who even cares anyway? You can either man up for a minute, wear a _clearly_ magenta scarf, or you can quite literally freeze your tailfeathers off up in the North."

The burrowing owl all but lets out a slight grunt, "Fine... Sometimes you're more of a mother than you are a girlfriend, Gylf."

"Oh don't say that, you love me anyway, admit it." Gylfie smiles, finally somewhat getting her way as she then starts to place the scarf around her boyfriend's neck, "And someone has to take care of you."

"Yeah... Kinda glad to have a smothery girlfriend like you sometimes." Digger says with a bit of a smile himself, "That and you're smart and pretty and…"

Josh, as one of the four spectators, rolls his eyes almost dramatically as he looks to Soren with a turn of his head, "I knew a couple like those two back in my GTA days... Frankly, I smacked Shard hard over the back of the head for acting like that even when we were seven years old we decided it was misters before sisters... Well before I met our wives that is, and sometimes promises are broken."

As they begin to prepare themselves to go, getting the final things out of the way as per goodbyes and see you when I see youse. Checking that they have the essentials with them and checking that everyone is cosy warm with appropriate garments being warn to ensure that they are not going to end up freezing in the North, if it happened. Josh all but checks his satchel that he carries, getting out his sword and placing it on himself before looking for all the rest of the things... Before coming across a small necklace of oddly shaped beads and beadlike things on it, this is clearly from his daughter Sina. He kisses it before placing it back in underneath maps and otherwise he is packing. Their attention drawn elsewhere as one of the Ambalan Royal Guards, clearly one of them by the fancy helm they wear with the orange gemstone, lands before the group and clear their throat to get all of their attentions.

"The Princess of Ambala requests to see you all before you leave." The royal guard announces, in slightly accented English, as per most of Autumn's entourage of being bilingual

"And I yet as though have to ask why?" Josh responds with some reserved annoyance

Soren shoots the snowy a look before softening it as he then looks to the Guard, "Merci monsieur, we'll be right there."

* * *

_Two Nights Previously..._

_The parliament meeting had ended on the King storming out, and much of the parliament was disturbed on this matter, especially the Royal Family in general. Ezylryb, however, had another issue that was more important to him than just Boron's sudden mood swings and a little more important than the health of the queen who had fainted by the end of the little façade of a parliamentary session._

_Ezylryb flies back to the hollow, the two guards out the front bowing their heads with respect for the Prince of Ambala as he enters and then closes the door quietly for noticing the scene ahead can only mean that one wrong move and the little one is awake. Pellimore is leaning over the Princess of North's travel bassinette, as she had just gotten the bubbly two year old, who has been the only one to remain blissfully ignorant and otherwise naively happy, is now asleep._

_"__Just be quiet, please if you may, I had only gotten her asleep." Pellimore whispers, while tucking the little one in snugly, "How did the parliament meeting go."_

_"__A travesty if ever were one, lass, and yet we're all but confused." Ezylryb quietly and briefly mentions as he takes off a snow-covered scarf, "I trust things here weren't difficult and all hagsmire wasn't breaking loose on you. I do have to say your taking charge of the situation is quite impressive."_

_The female Barn Owl nods, "Thank you kindly, and everything is as best I could make of it, sir. Everything is tidied up, Autumn is in the other room lying down as you told me to get her to do and I managed to get Princess Sina asleep."_

_"__Now I am sure that Josh will be coming around soon to pick his daughter up, so I think she's right by already having at the sleep, the little darling. Make things easier for him since things are quite terrible for the lad at the moment as this poor little lass' mother is somewhere in a Pure One North." The Screech owl prince says before coming across one of the little girl's playthings and placing it away in the respective care satchel that she came with_

_"__It's terrible. I have read much on what has happened to the North and to the Schana Dynasty nearly being eradicated if Lydea did not survive and it is just terrible." Pellimore comments with a shake of her head, having her say in the night's events that they had heard about, "I think I should get going, I would bet that I should see how Soren is doing after all of this."_

_"__Well you have my gratitude for taking care of Rose for me, as her panic attacks are something terrible I have to say." Ezylryb says, as he is meandering around the room doing a few things, "Take care now, lass."_

_Pellimore then leaves and the hollow goes quiet aside from the noises the fidgety owlet makes when she is all but trying to get comfortable. Ezylryb all but then goes into the bedroom part of the hollow where his wife is relaxing and gently nuzzles her to get her attention. He had been worried to say the least, about her when she had suddenly had fallen weak and begins to go into panic, as it is not exactly something that is good for her. After all she is all but a little sized lady and she has been in a fragile balance most of her life and she has developed one reaction that if she gets a bad knock of some sort, she gets really bad swelling._

_"__Enjoying your downtime?" Ezylryb asks_

_Autumn all but sits up a bit, "Anything on Lydea reported yet?"_

_"__Nothing really yet, but she is alive to say the least. Nya forbid her descendant dying when she has a young daughter." He replies, with little knowledge he could get within the space between the announcements and between coming home again and the general knowledge he has learnt about Owl Gods and their descendants from being a godparent to one_

_"__I am worried, you know." She states, looking with a worried glance of her brown eyes_

_Ezylryb pats her wing, "We'll be fine. Barran told us the results of the Secondary Siege being that he'd be foolhardy to come back here after all of that and the chaos that had ensued."_

_"__But what for the future, what then will happen? We were lucky to have nearly twenty years peace from the Pure Ones, the peace I had grown up in... But now..." Autumn says, looking with a worried glance of her brown eyes, "Someday we're going to have children and they may..."_

_"__Darling, calm down. Nothing will happen, because I love you and the thing about my feelings for you is I promised to protect you from anything that may hurt you and our children..." He reassures, making some tears come to the small spotted owl's eyes, "And another of my promises, by taking this title was to rule in your place as the monarch of Ambala. I would gladly refuse the throne after our firstborn is born a male against your niece if they want your brother's widow to abdicate, as we are both not ready for what they want us to be, as I know that you are no more ready than I will be. I am going on mid-forties, married again for a second time with a down-to-earth princess wife who is now married for her second first time, and a Lord Commander and ryb with a no-responsibility regal title is good enough for me."_

_Autumn nearly all of a sudden gets up and clings to Ezylryb in a hug, in which he wraps his wings around his smaller sized spouse, she's always been this emotional mess half of her life from the abuse she suffered as a child, but she is not upset, but rather crying tears of happiness. Her life turned around by the time he had come into her life, all but helping her to put the past behind her and to become stronger than she was and to learn to accept herself for whom she is as a dwarf owl. She never had felt as loved or even cared about by anyone before they had met and she's all but been happy since the first night of this fall when they had married as she has all but come to a new start in her life._

_"__So I think we're going to have to reschedule another time, yes?" Ezylryb says to his wife_

_"__Yes... We will have to." Autumn answers, with a soft smile, "Because it would be the wrong time for any sort of party."_

* * *

_A Few Hours Later, earlier the previous morning before_

_As the sunlight shines down upon the Great Tree, everyone is asleep at finally, well exempting the guards who are on the morning watch, some of which are standing outside protecting the Prince and Princess of Ambala. Both of who are fast asleep, Ezylryb cuddling his wife as they sleep in the hopefully peaceful morning's light, that is before one of the guards enter the hollow and then knocks sharply on the door of the bedroom before poking their head in._

_"__Prince Ezylryb." The Guard all but somewhat loudly says as Ezylryb wakes up_

_"__What is it? Have you any idea what hour of the morning it is?" Ezylryb replies in a soft mutter, a little annoyed from the wakeup call, looking down at his wife who is still asleep for a moment before looking back, "Now what is it, it better be important."_

_"__A thousand pardons, milord, but King Boron is here to see you, and he has mentioned it is urgent." The guard replies_

_"__Here, now?" the screech owl replies to his disbelief_

_He gets a nod for a reply, and then Ezylryb gets out of bed, making sure that Autumn is still asleep before he leaves the room and the snowy owl monarch is standing in the middle of the room. –All but deriving a conclusion that must be important, as sometimes there has been the interruptions at the middle of the night that has been for nothing important at all.- Boron is dressed up in a cloak and scarf and he has a satchel resting beside him on the ground._

_"__Boron, firstly, what is it?" Ezylryb asks, unimpressed to say the least, while closing the door to the bedroom so nothing wakes his wife, "And secondly, do you have any idea what time of the morning it is? My wife had a panic attack earlier on this morning and she needs to sleep when she is close to-"_

_"__Well it's bloody as well urgent, so don't get all hissy on me." Boron replies, while standing his ground, "If you want the answer, here it is: I'm going to the North."_

_"__What?!" Ezylryb all but can exclaim, as this revelation is actually very shocking to say the least, "Are you mad? Boron, as your advisor, since this whole issue of your father came up; I fear that you must be losing your wits as you are not going to go to the North."_

_"__Yes I am. I haven't been more serious about anything in my whole life than now." The king retorts, standing up for his decision, "I don't expect you to understand why I need to do this, or am forcing that you come with me, but... Alexander is my problem, Lyze. He is a threat, and I cannot just let this whole thing get out of hand when it is my father behind it all and I have to do what Lydea can't and take care of it."_

_"__Will you even think for a moment? Do you know how awful you sound right now?" the screech owl all but tries to be the voice of reason through council_

_Boron frantically paces about the room, "I know, but... What am I supposed to do? Begin a campaign and sooner doom us all, he is going to want to come here and you know as well as I do that sometimes we have to make the tough decisions. I had sworn an oath... as best the same that you will swear someday if you will become King of Ambala, an oath to protect my subjects from anything that endangers them. I swore the night I married your goddaughter, my wife Barran, that I would protect her, to protect Josh and sure as hell protect our granddaughter from harm. Now I have to stop that menace before he goes any fervour."_

_Ezylryb then all but goes over to the windowsill and takes some fabrics and a couple books off a box and then takes out his dagger. He then gets a few things out of it also such as battle claws and his helm._

_"__I mayn't know much about what is right, but what I know is that someone has to keep you in line and as your advisor I suppose that I have to do this… As if he could come here and knowing the former aristocracy only boils down to you, me, Barran and a few others… He could come after me and sure as hagsmire after my family." Ezylryb says, as he places on his battle claws with a heavy heart, "But you promise me that we will be home and done with this in no more than a couple weeks, as I want to be here with my wife. And you better listen to what I say or it's all off and you will not be leaving this tree, you read me?"_

_"__It shouldn't take more than a couple nights… Kludd may be a smart little prick when it comes to combat and general leadership on the right terms, but he can't control a kingdom as big as the North." Boron says with a nod of conformation_

_The Prince of Ambala then places his dagger by his side. Autumn herself gave it to him to have as a sort of anniversary present for a little more than sentimental value purposes. A dagger that was rumoured to belong to her father, King Samuel III, created after she was born. He all but breathes a sigh, as it is the one thing he would rather keep with him at all times as it does have her name engraved in it and just as the dagger was made to show both beauty in the design, as well as the strength it has. –That can be said about his wife, as she is beautiful, no less deadly. He does not mean to leave her now, nonetheless when they have their own plans in the works, but as the king who is almost ten years his junior said; sometimes the tough decisions have to be made. He then is handed a note from said king, as they have to leave now, or leave never and with the deadline he has drafted, they are going to have to work quick smart._

_Ezylryb enters the bedroom where his wife sleeps, the small woman all but at peace, when unbeknownst to her some dangers are brewing. He gets out a cape quietly and then a scarf among other things he has to retrieve from the room before approaching the sleeping Princess of Ambala and placing the note beside her. Before approaching her, gently tucking her in carefully, kissing her softly on the cheek, and holding her close to all but get one last touch of her soft feathers and the smell of her rose perfume as the decision is tough that he has made… Nevertheless, nothing means more to him than the dwarf Spotted Owl he had fought and nearly died for on occasion and protecting her was something he swore a long time before he said the wedding vows._

_"__I know I'll be gone by the time you wake, but… Just know that I love you more than anything, Autumn." Ezylryb whispers as he cuddles his mate, who lies naively asleep, "I promise to be home soon as I may have to go and keep Boron in line as well as prevent anything happening to you here, but I won't let anything get in the way of me coming back home to you, okay. I'll be back as soon as I can, especially since there is a time limit and the boy may get it if he doesn't live up to his promise. Nothing too harsh, maybe a wack across the face, but you know what I mean by that. …I love you."_

_Ezylryb kisses his wife again on her cheek before leaving, knowing that he has to come home alive and come home to his princess._

* * *

As the sun sets over the snowy skies in the southernmost of the Northern Kingdom's reach, two owls are braving the cold as they fly through. They are passing over the roaring waves and through gaps between glaciers that would tower to the heavens above, as they had long flown away from where the Sea of Hoolemere had stopped and it had become the Everwinter, which stretches all across the frostbitten north.

For the least of it, since the Pure Ones had taken over the place, these two are all but taking it easy when it comes to making it to where Queen Lydea has her stronghold at the military base where she has been at for the last couple of nights. –Especially now that they approach the mainlands of where the Everwinter meets the tundra's shores of rock and stone and are entering of where there is no turning back after a certain point.

Boron looks ahead, "Ezylryb, fall right."

Following the orders, Ezylryb falls right with his commander as they hide in all but a cranny of a part of the cliffs. The reason being that a Pure One patrol all but passes them quickly and the one thing they have to do when it comes to being in the danger zone is they have to lie low. Especially as the snowy King of the Great Tree himself is related, no less the ashamed spawn to their Northern Pure One General. The whole aim of this mission would be compromised if captured early. They then head off when the coast is clear.

"It's changed alright…" Ezylryb comments, while looking out for more of the enemy's little agents

"It's like no less the last time we were here really, when this place was riddled with the scum called Pure Ones." Boron utters, agreeing with his advisor there

"Well, not to sound impatient, but we have to get to the Northern Army Base which Lydea is at before more of these bastards decide to grace our presence." The screech owl then says

It all goes back to silence as they continue to fly and then work out where the hagsmire they are going from more than just the stars. Even if they are both Northern born and raised, it still comes down to the changes that happen over time and also to where this new Northern Army base is indeed located, as it can't be too far from what the maps had said upon the last time looking at them. The pair of owls then passes a certain point and unbeknownst to them while they check and figure their bearings, some enemy tail is inbound…

"Pure Ones inbound… Now I wish I was in the mood for combat, but the fact of the matter is that they just don't deserve to be wailed on, even if they're Pure One drones." Ezylryb announces as he does have one backward glance

"Hmm, funnily enough I remember something like this." Boron says as he too looks back

The screech owl all but shoots him a look, "They were only your father's personal guard, Boron."

"Same principle." The snowy owl all but replies before making a sharp turn to his left, "Come on!"

"Oh you're a piece of work…" Ezylryb grumbles, with a roll of his eyes with much annoyance, as he has to follow

The Guardian owls take the sharp turn to fly away from the coast, the Pure Ones following them and trying to keep up at the same time in pursuit. Boron and Ezylryb fly in and amongst the glaciers that are around the shoreline of the mainland, flying through twisting bends and tunnels in order to lose the Pure Ones. Even if it has been more than two decades really since they both had been here, they may still know their way around as with every twist, turn, and tunnel, it is all familiar. They all but fly through one main gap at the edge of the cove's rocky cliffs, which is a hole that is often hard to clear. They both seem to clear it okay, and looking back, they may have lost the Pure Ones.

"You're still a piece of work…" Ezylryb breathes, catching his breath from that little escapade

"Some things never change… Like the Pure Ones." Boron says as he looks back, "Looks like our little friends haven't given up after all that twisting, flying and general turning that could make anyone yarp afterward."

"Screw trying to lose them, just keep flying easily to north easterly along this damn shoreline." The Ambalan Prince then orders

Just doing what he says, they just continue to fly along, although quickly as they have a tail of a trio of Pure Ones behind them. Just keeping an eye on their little sentries on their tail as they try to keep up, yet it just seems as through the command has not been training them enough since last encounter five months ago in the early autumn. –Then again, they're not uncannily overly strong and agile since the last time.

After flying a while, Boron still apprehensive over the matter of his advisor doing his job and telling him to just fly along the shoreline, as they are still chasing them to no avail of giving up, as they tend to do. Mostly, as they have learned over the years, their training does include that of the constant reinforcement of 'weakness is shameful', explaining their little friends there who look exhausted somewhat and are lagging behind even if they are flying not that fast anymore. Suddenly as they fly past, a trio of owls spring out of hiding places and then down the Pure Ones quickly without a sound. With a brief glance back, they wear the silver, blue and sapphire colours of the Northern Army.

Boron then looks to the Lord Commander, "How did you know that-?"

"I just know." Ezylryb replies with a bit of a smug look, "Haven't been here for the worse of twenty two winters, but… I still know that Pure Ones cannot match the Northern Royal Military after all these years, as they're plain out foolish even to try."

* * *

Soren, Pellimore, Josh and the rest of The Band are lead quickly to the residence of the other wife affected by her husband's sudden departure. The last they all heard out of Autumn since after that meeting was really nothing, and there had been all but whispers about the tree about what she would be doing. The news often cannot always hide from the near thousand owls that live in the Great Tree, especially when the Queen is a Queen Regent to the people's knowledge, a chaw or two cancelled and rybs shifted between the GTA and the chaws and Senior Classes put on Homework Study.

They go inside the hollow where ladies in waiting are doing some chores while the Ambalan Princess sits in the middle of the main room. She is off sorts, as she is not as lively, happy or even bubbly as she normally is as she would be always offering them tea and treats and whatnot when they are invited over. The small spotted owl is dressed in tonight underneath the blankets she has wrapped herself in in an orange hooded cape with golden trims, put on haphazardly, the hood instead of on her head resting on her shoulders and has an amber beaded crown on… sitting lopsided on her head if possible. As Soren and Pellimore all but take a place, he looks as in front of the Princess is a half-finished embroidery that one of the ladies in waiting pick up. She had shown it to them the previous evening before last and she was working on for a couple weeks now and while getting that slight glance, little spots slightly darker than the others while and in the shape of the splatter of tears these little points are prominent. –She has been known to have unstable bouts of crying when she is worried like she is now, something that some know came from her unstable childhood.

"I am sorry if I look a little less… presentable as I normally am." Autumn speaks in a soft tone, unusually calm when she looks to have been crying more recently than when they last saw her, "And I would have come to see you off personally, but I'd rather stick close to home today. I am not exactly feeling well to be honest and… I wish you all well on your journey."

"This isn't just why we are here, yes?" Gylfie asks, being the first if not the only one of the leaving party to say something, "What is on your mind, Madame Autumn?"

The small sized Ambalan Princess takes a deep breath, as if to keep herself together, "To be truthful, I am worried… I have been so worried that I have not had the best of luck sleeping since the news that came so abruptly. I have never been this worried in a long time because… I had nothing to worry about as bad as worrying if my husband will come home alive as I have heard much… I have read much and I have met those who have survived the cull of the Northern Aristocracy that had happened."

"And I'm sure that he'll be fine, Aunty. Like Alexander would be a match for the Lyze of Kiel, who may be a semi-pacifist like my wife, but he can still kick the snot out of any of the Pure One buggers." Josh consoles, for the least trying to cheer her up with his anecdote

"Hey, maybe one of my jokes will cheer her up!" Digger then says, noticing Josh's attempt at trying to cheer up the princess

"Ah, no, I'm quite fine, lad… Maybe another time then, thank you." Autumn then says, while picking up her handkerchief, "As much as you all may tell me that… I just cannot keep my mind off the possibilities that is what I have contemplated all my life. And now since this has happened I worry that-"

The door suddenly opens, "I think you all should get going soon…"

They all then look over as Josh's mother and the current Queen Regent, Barran, stands before them. She herself seems all but normal in the light of the effect her husband's leaving has had on the Tree, but from what Josh had said about her crying the previous daybreak when his other 'aunt' was over, she may be just as emotionally fragile as Autumn. So suddenly, Autumn then breaks into tears, as if she couldn't keep them back anymore, and the two other women in the room, Gylfie and Pellimore, all but rush over to comfort her, especially if she begins to fall weakly as she has indeed done on a few occasions before. Soren can all but have a slight smile as he looks upon his girlfriend as she comforts the princess, admiring how caring she can be when it comes down to these sorts of things that really only can be handled by girls like her. –Especially as he has learned, his negotiation skills and not to mention finding the right words sometimes really does seem to be a little out of whack at those times.

The Group of owls all are upon leaving after saying a short goodbye to Autumn, Soren then approaching his girlfriend once she had moved away from the distressed princess.

"I think you should stay with her, Pelli." Soren says to his girlfriend although quietly, "I don't see her interacting much with the ladies in waiting and I'd think she'd need a little company while… you know… we gotta intervene on this and make sure that one of our favourite rybs and her husband isn't abducted or murdered by the Pure Ones in the North."

"I was already way ahead of you on that done, dear. Someone has to keep her company when she's much on leave and when she's pretty much alone in this hollow as everyone is sure as now busy since all this started aside from a few guards and the help." Pellimore replies, agreeing with him there

"Come on, Soren, we better skedaddle on out of here, we're burning moonlight!" Josh shouts from outside the hollow

"I'm coming, keep your feathers on!" He shouts with reply, before turning back to his girlfriend and they engage in a slight kiss for a few moments, "I'll see you later then… Stay safe."

"Likewise, Soren." She replies, caressing his cheek, "Stay safe up there for me… and come home alive."

Without another word, they part their ways and Soren goes outside the hollow, before stopping and looking back to see her looking at him with a supportive smile before going away herself. Soren all but then takes off to join the others in the air as they begin to leave the airspace of the Ga'Hoole Tree. Facing the cold northerly winds they fly, unfazed by a sudden change by the winds blowing toward them as they have a mission to carry out and are determined to do so as with every mission the very fate of the Owl Kingdoms could rest on it. A duty of care that comes with being a Guardian that is, and they all but are reminded of that as they fly toward the anarchy that is a kingdom in the middle of a long winter and also in the middle of a leadership crises… All in the name of tracking down the two most important owls in the whole of their side, and quite possibly stopping them ceiling their fate, before it is too late.

* * *

Boron and Ezylryb fly alongside Northern Soldiers as they fly along and being lead to their base. The two Northern-born Southern emigrates then come to the gates of the main base, which are being opened as per the shouts and commands one of the higher command owls. They come through the gates and land as they do, before walking inside of the main courtyards of this large-scale base. They are lead through and some of them bowing respect as they pass. Their arrival is one that is both unexpected, as it is sudden, especially as this conflict is painful enough before having the command of the Guardians arrive at their gates.

The Northern General then approaches them and bows his head with respect, before saying really nothing aside from instructing them to follow. They take off in a hurry, and Boron already knows where he must be going, as of course she would have known by now. Exposed to snowflakes in more than just her small emerges outside of her makeshift chamber, they say about her visions that it is the stuff of Nya's monarch descendants and the goddess trying to tell them something. They rush through the base until they come to a set of doors, guarded by two soldiers to each side of the doors, who then push the doors open for how urgent this meeting is.

Lydea rises, dropping what she is doing and she rushes over to hug her father in law, who hugs her back. Boron may not have thought much of Lydea before she had become to her throne, especially for how much unwanted attention came to the Royal Family when she and Josh were first dating, but opinions change with the changing times. –And to say the least, she has been an improvement and blessing in disguise for her merits and for how much Josh has grown up since the marriage two and a half years ago and from the birth of their daughter, his granddaughter, Sina.

"Lydea, are you okay?" Boron says, while holding the shoulders of his daughter in law after their hug ends, "No concussions, contusions, paralysations of any sort, yes?"

"I am as fine as I can manage…" Lydea answers, with blink of her dark blue eyes, "I am relieved to see you, the _both_ of you… It is good to see you too, Ezylryb, especially in the light of the circumstances."

"Lydea, do tell us everything that has happened." Ezylryb says, with a respectful nod of his head to the Northern Queen, as becoming a prince means that the manors shall not forgotten, "As this is no more a campaign than one which has gone this far in such a short matter of time and to have lost Bellmore to the Pure Ones. Five hundred hands all either deceased or MIA... I don't know how such a thing could have happened since their forces haven't been strong since the Secondary Siege; however, they are always full of surprises the bastards."

"For as much as I know, I only know up until I blacked out." The Northern Queen says, before parting from next to Boron, darting over to her General as he begins to leave, calling for him in a slightly sing-songy voice at first call before turning more serious, "General Taw! General, do stay and do me the favour of explaining to what happened after I blacked out and… Well after you had to carry me out the palace like the last time there was a Northern Coup, when I was no older than just hatched out."

"Of course, your grace." The General replies, turning back from the door and closing it

The Queen of the North ends up walking to a window, somewhat almost immediately composing herself to that of a more sombre tone as she thinks over the events of the night before last, "It was a quiet night at Snowflake Palace those two nights ago. Since Sina and Josh are in Ga'Hoole, I had all but started getting around to a few things after work, mainly my embroidering. So that evening, I was doing some embroidering as Lord Arian came to report to me over the matter of security and we did have a discussion before the windows came open suddenly… Well you do know that I have the ability of the snowsight as you so coin the terms as, yes?"

"Yes, you have told me that you've had it since thirteen." Boron then says, before a wing gesture, "Continue, Lydea."

"As I was saying, the windows came open and they hence revealed me something as if Nya was telling me herself of danger…" Lydea says, looking to the ornamental snowflake pin at the front of her cape before looking up with a blink of her dark blue eyes, "Then I instructed Taw of making sure that the palace, and indeed all of the bases to be of alert. It was about two hours after dawn when… They came by their battalions, the general later informing me that their side has merged with another Tytonic Union group of Alexander's that was all but in hiding until such a day like this would come. They stormed my palace, stormed my chambers, my ladies in waiting shouting with cries of fear as the guards were to defend. Of course, I had to fight some myself in defence, but one bastard ended up taking me by surprise and threw me into a table, knocking me out and giving me a head wound."

"Queen Lydea had become unconscious, as she had said, and we managed to beat the buggers back." General Taw then says, picking up where the Northern Queen has left off, "Of course, the palace had become compromised. Thinking of what would be best for the queen since we are not about to have another regicide in the kingdom, I carried her out of the palace, the ladies following as well as the guards and beat anything that crossed our path. We ended up here at the military base named after her father. As they took Lydea to fix her up, and check if she is still alive… We found out that Bellmore had fallen. I am sure that is all you need to know about that."

"Definitely explains it…" Ezylryb comments before looking to Boron who is donning a displeased frown

"Why didn't the Guardians come?" Lydea enquires as she looks to the commanders

"None of this has to do with Ga'Hoole at all unless they decide to attack." Boron sharply replies, answering the question, "Alexander is my problem, not of the Guardians problem, and be damned anyone who stands in the way from what I should have done twenty years ago to save you from making the mistake and making your whole council and yourself have a moral and ethical debate."

"You were sixteen twenty years ago and to hagsmire would have any of us known that he was a traitor, no one knew and would have never known until then as he always played the loyal commander." Lydea tries to reason

"I would want to find out why he betrayed the kingdom including the very kings he served under, why he would betray his forefathers before him and your family…" The Hoolian king retorts, before wincing slightly, "…But the words as to why may be too hard to hear. I'd rather end his existence for what he did and for everything he does just by living."

The Northern Queen all but breaks and places her wings to her ear slits. As a pacifist, she can only take hearing that there will be more violence in her kingdom for so long before she breaks, especially when it comes to this intended patricide "You are not the father in law, nor the wise and noble King of the Guardians I know you as Boron and-"

"Unless you have a way to get to and or to disembowel Alexander before all of this ends up getting worse and the North being done for, then this discussion is over!" Boron shouts, stomping to the doors and opening them, looking back as his daughter in law, the Northern General and his titled-prince advisor and even the ladies in waiting staring at him agape, "A good night to you. Lydea, Lord Arian, Lyze."

Boron then exits in his fury, slamming the doors behind him. Ezylryb flinching as they close, for all but the shock of the outburst to him as he and the other two commanders in the room all but frozen staring agape. Forget the onset of an early midlife crisis, this has developed far more than of what they, he and the said king's wife and close confidante no less, Barran, first thought. As it remains quiet, Lydea slowly lowers her wings from the sides of her head slowly, hoping that it is indeed over as she dreads the thought of more bloodshed in her kingdom. Ezylryb, knowing that he as the advisor is the one who has tasked himself with looking after the disgruntled and otherwise confused king has to clean up this mess that the said king and begins to approach this fellow semi-pacifist royal.

"Don't take any of what he said personally, Lydea." Ezylryb speaks, trying to make some sense to make amends to what had just happened, "You made a decision you felt suit and what you through was right by your own morals through the same beliefs of pacifism that I share. You were only trying to avoid having to see an execution and prevent any more bloodshed in your kingdom and after twenty years of it I wouldn't blame you as it did get pretty… bloody…"

"Did I…" Lydea mutters as she then places her wings to her head in which she hangs low, her eyes closed, "Did I end up-"

"It's been a bad week for Boron, nothing more than that so don't take anything he said to heart." He says, placing his wing upon the shoulder of the Queen of the North

"It's just so strange of him to end up going all crazy angry like that." She then says, looking with much concern to the Whiskered Screech Owl, "Is he really alright, Lyze? I mean… did that bonk on the head do something to his mind?"

"He's been fine in the months beside the last week since the Secondary Siege, just his usual self until all of this came up. I can only blame the flight for how irritable he is being right now. I'm sure that with a little sleep at some stage and some dinner, he'll be right…" Ezylryb reassures her, patting her on the shoulder, "…or at least a little less off the handle than he is acting like right now."

Lydea then looks to him with a different look, one that can all but say 'inquisitive', as she then goes by her desk to look at something, a letter she had all but received only a few nights before the coup, "I have to ask this, as it really has struck me all of a sudden. Why are you even here in the North with my father in law when in the letter you and the Princess had sent me-"

"I had to keep Boron in check, lass." He replies, for the least explaining his side of why he is here as the both of them clearly know that he would not be here for the same goals as the king, "Sure, I make the sacrifice of leaving my princess all by herself. Then too endanger myself of being a Guardian Royal, Senior Guardian and Lord Commander and War Hero, a combination that is all but makes you a target to the bastards even more I will tell you now, but… Someone has to keep him in line. I have come as a diplomatic envoy too as a Guardian and now Prince of Ambala, for the reason to return to my homeland to see to it that the North rid of the Pure Ones… That and protect the only Schana-blooded queen to ascend the throne since the last time this had happened. "

"I can only hope I can reclaim my title then…" Lydea mutters, as she leans over the desk at a report all but telling of more grim news, "…As the Pure Ones is not standing in the way of my throne again."


End file.
